If We Could Talk With the Animals ....

.... what would they say to us. Find out with these tales of opinionated, intellectual and philosophical tortoises, chickens, frogs and pigs.

Come Thou Tortoise by Jessica Grant

"A delightfully offbeat story that features an opinionated tortoise and an IQ-challenged narrator who find themselves in the middle of a life-changing mystery. Audrey (a.k.a. Oddly) Flowers is living quietly in Oregon with Winnifred, her tortoise, when she finds out her dear father has been knocked into a coma back in Newfoundland. Despite her fear of flying, she goes to him, but not before she reluctantly dumps Winnifred with her unreliable friends. Poor Winnifred.  When Audrey disarms an Air Marshal en route to St. John’s we begin to realize there’s something, well, odd about her. And we soon know that Audrey’s quest to discover who her father really was – and reunite with Winnifred – will be an adventure like no other." publisher

Dear Lucy by Julie Sarkissian

"Lucy is a young woman with an uncommon voice and an unusual way of looking at the world. She doesn’t understand why her mother has sent her to live with old Mister and Missus on their farm, but she knows she must never leave or her mother won’t be able to find her again. Also living at the farm is a pregnant teenager named Samantha who tells conflicting stories about her past and quickly becomes Lucy’s only friend. When Samantha gives birth and her baby disappears, Lucy arms herself with Samantha’s diary—as well as a pet chicken named Jennifer—and embarks on a dangerous and exhilarating journey to reunite mother and child. With Dear Lucy, Julie Sarkissian has created an unforgettable new heroine of contemporary fiction whose original voice, exuberance, and bravery linger long after the final page." publisher

The Book of Frog: an un-amuse-esprit by Jan Zwicky

"What Frog is saying about the Book of Frog:The Book of Frog is probably the best book ever written, right up there with The Divine Comedy and Gilgamesh. Except it's short and in English! A cinch, huh? You will like it. In addition to being action-packed and by me, it has some great pictures (also of me). And it has some excellent emails from my friend Al, who is extremely smart. You will learn stuff you never knew, maybe even be enlightened. (It's possible.) If you think that because it is a book by a frog, it has nothing for you, you are wrong. Frogs are the best. Even Al thinks so. It talks about Schubert and baseball and green onion pancakes. With ponzu sauce! And there are heaps of tips on how to manage the humans in your life. What are you waiting for? Get your copy today! Get copies for all your friends!" publisher

Pyg: the memoirs of Toby, the learned pig ed. by Russell Potter

"A heartwarming debut introduces readers to the adventures of its overachieving porcine narrator. Blending the sophisticated satire of Jonathan Swift with the charming exuberance of a Pixar film, Pyg tells the story of Toby, a truly exceptional pig who lives in late 18th-century England. After winning the blue ribbon at the Salford Livestock Fair and escaping the butcher's knife, Toby tours the country, wowing circus audiences with his ability to count, spell, and even read the minds of ladies (but only with their permission, of course). He goes on to study at Oxford and Edinburgh - encountering such luminaries as Samuel Johnson, Robert Burns, and William Blake - before finally writing his life story. Quirky, beguiling, and endlessly entertaining, this memoir of a 'remarkable sapient pig' is a sharp and witty delight." publisher

Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Sausages by Tom Holt

"Polly is a real estate solicitor. She is also losing her mind. Someone keeps drinking her coffee. And talking to her clients. And doing her job. And when she goes to the dry cleaner's to pick up her dress for the party, it's not there. Not the dress - the dry cleaner's. And then there are the chickens who think they are people. Something strange is definitely going on - and it's going to take more than a magical ring to sort it out. From one of the funniest voices in comic fiction today comes a hilarious tale of pigs and parallel worlds." publisher