Animals have often been considered second-class citizens by philosophers, religions and societies as a whole. Yet we can learn to be kinder, more humane, human beings by learning from animals. In her book, Encounters with Animals, author Barbara Linder observes our furred, feathered, scaled, and many-legged companions in a way that transcends their traditional purpose in our society; for example, as pets to us or as meat for our consumption. Linder teaches us how the Sioux considered animals their relations, and how Saint Francis of Assisi named them his brothers and sisters. It’s with this same mindset that Linder wrote Encounters with Animals and how you will come to think by the time your finish her beautiful book.