Odd Birds & Fat Cats (An Urban Bestiary) : (An Urban Bestiary)

ERIC HOFFER BOOK AWARD CATEGORY FINALISTRavens in Berlin . . . Parakeets in Brooklyn . . . Chickensin Tel Aviv . . . Spiders in Cognac. City creatures spark the imagination andintellect in words and art by this father-daughter team.

Odd Birds & Fat Cats (An Urban Bestiary) is anillustrated collection of brief observations on city creatures.

Inspiredby the tradition of the medieval bestiary, bestiarum vocabulum, a12th-century bestselling genre that chronicled animals and beings bothreal and fantastical, the book features pithy impressions of birds and animalsthat delight, confound, and edify, written by Peter Wortsman, coupledwith detailed naturalist artwork by his daughter, AurélieBernard Wortsman. Featured creatures include:Pigeons: “When, finally, it takes flight . . . thisasphalt-colored bird is like a piece of the pavement which by some fluke ofgravity broke loose and is foolishly falling upward by mistake." Seagulls: “Fallen splinters of eternity, they hangoverhead with the equanimity and mild disdain of angels in a medievalaltarpiece, and unlike pigeons, refuse any direct contact with man."Ants: “Micro-managers in three-piece bodies,ants parody human antics to a tee. Or is it the other way around?"Dust mites: “Every time you scratch yourself or combyour hair, you are feeding the tiny intruders with the detritus of self."With four-color images throughout, printed in a beautiful hardboundedition, this one-of-a-kind volume will please the discerning animal lover,traveler, art lover, iconoclast, and literati on your gift list—and, of course,also you!