InUnlikely Heroes,the author uncovers and celebrates yet another side of animals that we often think belongs primarily to peopleheroism, that indefinable quality of going above and beyond, often for altruistic reasons, often at great personal risk. These 37 inspiring true tales show animals whose quick acts have saved lives, like the pod of dolphins who protected swimmers in New Zealand from a great white shark by forming a screen around them. There are stories of animals who simply and unselfishly give, like Rojo the llama, who shines his very special light of lovingkindness on the elderly patients in an Oregon rehab center.

And there are compelling stories of heroic resilience: like Nakio, the abandoned puppy who lost all four paws to frostbite but found the grit not only to overcome that terrible hardship but to reclaim the joy of lifethats him, smiling on the cover of the book.

Ages: middle school