Understanding
“Even Chula — smart as she is — cannot talk. Communicate, yes. But talk, no. ‘When we ask things of animals, they often understand us,’ animal expert Elizabeth Marshall Thomas wrote. ‘When they ask things of us, we are often baffled.’ So we try to be better at understanding….
Shared meaning. Understanding. That’s the quest. We don’t always need words. And even humans don’t always use words. Think of love, of the way truly important things can be communicated with open arms, fingertips, a smile — with no need of sentences, and without syntax. The true power of silent intent.”
— Carl Safina in Beyond Words; What Wolves and Dogs Think and Feel
I invite young readers to learn about the inner lives of wolves and dogs, in my coming book Beyond Words; What Wolves and Dogs Think and Feel, a young-adult adaptation of my bestseller Beyond Words; What Animals Think and Feel. Available from booksellers and online on 4/21/20.
