Animal-Wise: The Spirit Language and Signs of Nature (Paperback)

~ (Author) "Long before there was ever a long ago, a small village sat at the edge of a great woods..." (more)
Key Phrases: zre need, stick bug, woolly caterpillar, Dictionary of Mammals, The Kingdom of Birds, Dictionary of Birds (more...)

Product Details

• Paperback: 438 pages
• Publisher: Dragonhawk Publishing; 1st edition (June 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1888767340
• ISBN-13: 978-1888767346
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 7.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #19,511 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #9 in	Books > Religion & Spirituality > Earth-Based Religions > Native American
  #11 in	Books > Religion & Spirituality > Earth-Based Religions > Shamanism
  #26 in	Books > Nonfiction > Social Sciences > Special Groups > Ethnic Studies

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

168 of 177 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars O.K. if you live in Africa or Australia -- but not for USA, January 17, 2002

By A Customer

I was looking for a book that would be a guide to animals that I see. For example, today I saw four white-tailed deer and wondered if this book would provide a message of why they appeared today.

I read Natalie Post's review: "The book comprehensively details the animal kingdoms with an extensive dictionary that provides key qualities and characteristics of particular animals, the mythology and history surrounding them, and questions to ask when they are encountered during the course of a day." That, together with the 5-star rating, and I thought, "Wow! I'll buy it!"

I was hoping for a waking-hours animal reference book along the lines of Barbara Condron's "The Dreamer's Dictionary" that covers dream-time images.

And Animal-Wise would come close to that kind of reference book if only it focused on common animals. I was hoping to at least be able to check out things like squirrels (for which there is a very good small reference but not a full listing), deer, blue jays, robins, cardinals, raccoons, skunks, et. al.

Instead, it lists animals that might be part of your animal totem -- usually not one of the animals you come across in your daily life, unless you're a zoo-keeper or you live in the jungles of Africa or in the Outback of Australia.

The list of mammals covered is: aardvark, apes & monkeys, arctic fox, baboons, beluga, boar, camel, capybara, caribou, cheetah, chimpanzee, chipmunk (Well, there's one I see once in a while anyway!), dingo, eland, ferret, gazelle, gibbon, gorilla, guinea pig, hedgehog, hippopotamus, humpback whale, hyena, impala, jackal, jaguar, kangaroo, koala, lemur, llama, mole, musk ox, muskrat, orangutan, panda, polar bear, shrew, Siberian tiger, wallaby, walrus, wolverine and zebra. Very disappointing!

The list of birds covered is: albatross, bittern, black vulture, bluebird, bobwhite, burrowing owl, caracara, cockatoo, condor, conures, cormorant, emu, flamingo, goshawk, great blue heron, grebe, gyrfalcon, harrier hawk, harris hawk, ibis, junco, killdeer, kite, lark, long-eared owl, macaw, merlin, nighthawk, osprey, parakeet, puffin, sandhill crane, sapsucker, secretary bird, sharp-shinned hawk, shorteared owl, tufted titmous, and white crane. Again, very disappointing -- though a bit more commonly-seen than the mammals Andrews chose to cover.

On the other hand, his "Dictionary of Insects and Arachnids" is much more useful. He covers the following insects and arachnids: black and yellow argiope, black widow spider, brown spider, caterpillar, centipede and millipede, cicada, cockroach, cricket, daddy longlegs, earthworm, firefly, flea, fly, jumping spider, ladybug, leech, mosquito, moth, orb-weaver spiders, scorpion, silkworm moth, slug, snail, stick bug (walkingstick), tarantula, tick, wasp, water spider, wolf spider, and woolly caterpillar.

Andrews also has sections on reptiles & amphibians and sea life.

I'm posting this so that people know what they're buying, as I felt the current descriptions and reviews misrepresent it.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A good companion to Animal-Speak, August 12, 2005

By	Lupa (Portland, OR) - See all my reviews

I'm glad I snagged a copy of this book. Usually when an author puts out another book on the same topic as before it ends up being flogge past redemption. This one, though, is a good expansion on what Animal-Speak contained. I'm especially happy about the continuation of the animal totem dictionary, primarily because it reminds readers that there are animals beyond North America ;)

I wouldn't really recommend it as a stand-alone book for a beginner because you really do need a lot of the material from Animal-Speak for betetr context, but if you really, really like Andrews' work go ahead and get this. If you're more independent, you can probably pass it up since it's pretty much the second half of a very large book.

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ted Andrews Continues to Write Great Books!!, October 29, 2002

By	CLH "FireBird" (Hinesville, GA) - See all my reviews

Although I have just purchased this book and have yet to read most of it I did one of the excersises and already I see a differene in the animals that I see and the way that I am attuned to nature!! Ted Andrews oncre more gives well written guidance for anyone who is seeking to get in touch with their spiritual nature! His grasp of the animals is through. Animal Wise goes in conjuction with Animal Speak. In animal wise he expounds on animals. Not ones that appear to you every day but sometimes those that come in dreams or draw your attention on TV. An elightening book for all!!