Martin Marten

This book is fiction, infused with magical realism, and I am a scientist. Yet, this book definitely belongs on my list of best books about wild animals.

Superficially, it is about a boy, Dave, who regularly observes a pine marten, a kind of large weasel, in the lush forests of Oregon. I love this book because even the slightest chance of properly empathizing with a wild animal requires a powerful yet constrained imagination. Some of Dave’s attributions to Martin are self-projected, and some of his attributions are deeply true. Reliability in telling the difference is not always so simple.

This… show more.

Every time I walk out my front door, there’s a song sparrow that swoops in and perches nearby to peer at me; he’s just as curious about me as I am about him.

Doyle’s novel works that idea into a story about a community, and especially a boy, living in a tiny town near Oregon’s Mount Hood. Humans are part of the community, but there are also legions of wildlife in the forests and streams. Doyle does a great job imbuing one of these creatures, a young marten, with agency and intelligence.

I love the question Doyle poses to his… show more.