Such a lovely book. It's very much like [b:The Genius of Birds|25938481|The Genius of Birds|Jennifer Ackerman|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1445790452s/25938481.jpg|45835780], which I read a little while back. You can tell the author has a genuine love and admiration for these animals. As a vegetarian I'm very much of the opinion that there is more to cows than beef burgers and more to pigs than bacon - an opinion my husband is fairly confused by, I think.

A great thing about this book is that while the species central to this book is cows, the author also talks about hens, pigs, sheep and at one point, horses; this is done well and adds to the beauty of the book. I think if you're someone who can appreciate the cognitive abilities of the animal kingdom and can accept that any animal, whether it be a snail or a chimpanzee, has a degree of intelligence then you'll probably like this book.

While the book is mostly anecdotal. it pretty much confirmed what I have either already known or have witnessed in the many years I've worked and lived with animals. Animals are sentient individuals that are deserving of more than just a basic life.