Mammals of North America is the latest entry in the Kaufman Focus Guides series, launched to much acclaim last year with Kenn Kaufman’s Birds of North America. This innovative nature series uses digitally enhanced photographs, rather than drawings, to help users identify each entry. The new guide, Mammals of North America, limits its scope to those wild mammals known to occur on our continent, and the result is a perfect gift for campers and avid outdoorsmen. With keys for recognizing every animal from the elk to the marmot, this user-friendly guide also includes a map of the area in which each animal is likely to live, as well as the size and appearance of the animals’ tracks. “For the most part, mammals are what we have in mind when we think about the thrill of seeing wild animals,” Kaufman writes. “Let a fox or deer cross the path, let even a chipmunk approach the group, and it will become the center of attention. The mammal trumps everything else.” Amy Scribner is a writer in Olympia, Washington.
Valiant Women is a vital and engrossing attempt to correct the record and rightfully celebrate the achievements of female veterans of World War II.
