10 books like Journey of the Pink Dolphins

By Sy Montgomery,

Here are 10 books that authors have personally recommended if you like Journey of the Pink Dolphins. Shepherd is a community of 8,000+ authors sharing their favorite books with the world.

Shepherd is reader supported.
We may earn an affiliate commission when you buy through links on our website. This is how we fund the project for readers and authors along with our membership program.

Last Chance to See

By Mark Carwardine, Douglas Adams,

Book cover of Last Chance to See

Matthew Hongoltz-Hetling Author Of A Libertarian Walks Into a Bear: The Utopian Plot to Liberate an American Town

From the list on stranger – and funnier – than fiction.

Who am I?

As a journalist, I’ve often been frustrated at the sense that I am preaching to the choir – those who take the time to read about a serious topic don’t need to, and those who need to, won’t. I’ve learned to spread awareness by packaging serious information inside a “Trojan Horse," one so fun to read that it reaches people who can actually benefit from the educational bits. These brilliant books, and many others, show that a spoonful of sugar can help us easily swallow information about social justice, endangered species, the U.S. military, and American history. I happily make these books Christmas gifts, knowing they are joys, not obligations.

Matthew's book list on stranger – and funnier – than fiction

Discover why each book is one of Matthew's favorite books.

Why did Matthew love this book?

Douglas Adams didn’t leave us enough books before he died, and so I find it strange that many Adams fans have somehow overlooked this gem, in which he applies his famously quirky wit to a real-life environmental cause. I’m recommending this one now because it perfectly exemplifies the idea that, in order to be truly sad about the plight of an endangered creature, you first must have a good long laugh at the creature’s expense. Adams makes me feel as if a Komodo Dragon is, not just majestic, but a friend that I’ve gone pub crawling with. 

Last Chance to See

By Mark Carwardine, Douglas Adams,

Why should I read it?

4 authors picked Last Chance to See as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

'Descriptive writing of a high order... this is an extremely intelligent book' The Times

Join Douglas Adams, bestselling and beloved author of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and zoologist Mark Carwardine on an adventure in search of the world's most endangered and exotic creatures.

In this book, Adams' self-proclaimed favourite of his own works, the pair encounter animals in imminent peril: the giant Komodo dragon of Indonesia, the lovable kakapo of New Zealand, the blind river dolphins of China, the white rhinos of Zaire, the rare birds of Mauritius island in the Indian Ocean and the alien-like aye-aye of…


Like Water for Chocolate

By Laura Esquivel,

Book cover of Like Water for Chocolate

Kim Antieau Author Of Church Of The Old Mermaids

From the list on bringing the mythic realm into our modern world.

Who am I?

I grew up in Michigan where I was outdoors in the woods most of the time, running around with my imaginary friends. I built an entire world in my imagination where girls and women were powerful and ruled the world. I wrote stories about that world, and I’ve never stopped writing or reading myths, folklore, and fairy tales. Stories are the best way to bring the mythic and hidden realms of our existence out into the open. When I catch a glimpse of other worlds through storytelling, it always feels healing. It gives me hope that there is more to our existence than what we ordinarily see.

Kim's book list on bringing the mythic realm into our modern world

Discover why each book is one of Kim's favorite books.

Why did Kim love this book?

In Like Water for Chocolate, how people feel when they are cooking affects what they are creating, and the people eating that food feel what the cook was feeling. I love that. It shows how truly magical, healing, and transformative cooking can be even though it is an ordinary everyday task that most of us perform. Each chapter has a recipe, and each recipe is tinged with magic. As a bonus, the book taught me to pay attention to how I feel when I cook—I try not to cry or be angry when preparing dishes. Just in case.

Like Water for Chocolate

By Laura Esquivel,

Why should I read it?

5 authors picked Like Water for Chocolate as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

THE INTOXICATING INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER ABOUT LOVE, COOKING AND MAGIC. PERFECT FOR FANS OF JOANNE HARRIS AND ISABEL ALLENDE.

'This magical, mythical, moving story of love, sacrifice and summering sensuality is something I will savour for a long time' MAUREEN LIPMAN

Like Water For Chocolate tells the captivating story of the De la Garza family. As the youngest daughter, Tita is forbidden by Mexican tradition to marry. Instead, she pours all of her emotions into her delicious recipes, which she shares with readers along the way.When Tita falls in love with Pedro, he is seduced by the magical food she cooks.…


Book cover of What the Robin Knows: How Birds Reveal the Secrets of the Natural World

Leigh Calvez Author Of The Hidden Lives of Owls: The Science and Spirit of Nature's Most Elusive Birds

From the list on encounters with wild animals.

Who am I?

When writing stories about animals, I love to seek out wild encounters with the animals I’m writing about. I love to observe their wild ways and witness their lives, even if only for a moment. To write the owl stories for The Hidden Lives of Owls, I followed scientists into the wilds of Montana, searched the Alaskan tundra, and trekked through the soggy, green forests of Washington. My journeys to watch whales around the world led to The Breath of a Whale: The Science and Spirit of Pacific Ocean Giants. My animal stories have also been published in American Nature Writing: 2003, Smithsonian Magazine, High Country News, The Ecologist, and The Christian Science Monitor among others.

Leigh's book list on encounters with wild animals

Discover why each book is one of Leigh's favorite books.

Why did Leigh love this book?

I first encountered this book while taking a wildlife tracking class that Jon Young had a hand in creating. I was awe-struck by the stories Young tells in What the Robin Knows. He has learned from years of patience and still observation to find animals in the forest and to know how each animal like an owl, hawk, coyote, or the neighborhood cat, is moving on the landscape by listening to the vocalizations and watching the behavior of local birds, like the ubiquitous Robin. This is a perfect book to read if you are longing to re-create your connection with nature, even in your own backyard.

What the Robin Knows

By Jon Young,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked What the Robin Knows as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Award-winning naturalist and author Jon Young's What the Robin Knows reveals how understanding bird language and behavior can help us to see more wildlife.

A lifelong birder, tracker, and naturalist, Jon Young is guided by three basic premises: the robin, junco, and other songbirds know everything important about their environment, be it backyard or forest; by tuning in to their vocalizations and behavior, we can acquire much of this wisdom for our own pleasure and benefit; and the birds’ companion calls and warning alarms are just as important as their songs.

Deep bird language is an ancient discipline, perfected by…


Rare Bird

By Maria Ruth,

Book cover of Rare Bird: Pursuing the Mystery of the Marbled Murrelet

Leigh Calvez Author Of The Hidden Lives of Owls: The Science and Spirit of Nature's Most Elusive Birds

From the list on encounters with wild animals.

Who am I?

When writing stories about animals, I love to seek out wild encounters with the animals I’m writing about. I love to observe their wild ways and witness their lives, even if only for a moment. To write the owl stories for The Hidden Lives of Owls, I followed scientists into the wilds of Montana, searched the Alaskan tundra, and trekked through the soggy, green forests of Washington. My journeys to watch whales around the world led to The Breath of a Whale: The Science and Spirit of Pacific Ocean Giants. My animal stories have also been published in American Nature Writing: 2003, Smithsonian Magazine, High Country News, The Ecologist, and The Christian Science Monitor among others.

Leigh's book list on encounters with wild animals

Discover why each book is one of Leigh's favorite books.

Why did Leigh love this book?

Without this book by Maria Mudd Ruth we may never have known about the captivating life of the Marbled Murrelet. This little seabird depends on the health of both the inland old-growth forest for its home and the distant Pacific Ocean for its livelihood. In this natural history mystery, Ruth tracks what we know and when we knew it about the Marbled Murrelet. From what she managed to uncover, we now know that if we lose the old-growth forests of the Pacific Northwest, we will lose this avian piece of the natural puzzle. I admire Ruth’s tenacity in her deep research and brilliant telling of this little bird’s story.

Rare Bird

By Maria Ruth,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Rare Bird as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

"Compelling…  engaging."--Library Journal

"Rare insights into the trials and joys of scientific discovery."--Publisher’s weekly

Part naturalist detective story and part environmental inquiry, Rare Bird: Pursuing the Mystery of the Marbled Murrelet celebrates the fascinating world of an endangered seabird that depends on the contested old-growth forests of the Pacific Northwest for its survival.

“This chunky little seabird stole my heart.” So confesses Maria Mudd Ruth, a veteran nature writer perfectly happy to be a generalist before getting swept up in the strange story of the marbled murrelet. This curiosity of nature, which flies like a little brown bullet at up…


Spineless

By Juli Berwald,

Book cover of Spineless: The Science of Jellyfish and the Art of Growing a Backbone

Sandy Sheehy Author Of Imperiled Reef: The Fascinating, Fragile Life of a Caribbean Wonder

From the list on the amazing world of coral reefs.

Who am I?

For more than four decades, Sandy Sheehy has been diving tropical coral reefs from the Caribbean to Australia. Starting when she was around five sitting in her pediatric dentist’s office where she noticed an aquarium stocked with colorful fish, her fascination with the underwater world has grown. Becoming a freelance journalist allowed her to call on experts and activists around the world to help her satisfy her curiosity and share what she learned.   

Sandy's book list on the amazing world of coral reefs

Discover why each book is one of Sandy's favorite books.

Why did Sandy love this book?

As much memoir as natural history, Spineless is an artful example of intertwining the two. Berwald makes the evolution and environmental adaptation of jellyfish fascinating; but what struck me most was her candid, even courageous, description of her route to becoming a scientist and the way in which serious, focused exploration of the natural world can guide and stabilize one’s personal life. The book has one of the most arrestingly beautiful covers I’ve ever seen.

Spineless

By Juli Berwald,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Spineless as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

"A book full of wonders" —Helen Macdonald, author of H Is for Hawk

"Witty, insightful. . . .The story of jellyfish. . . is a significant part of the environmental story. Berwald's engaging account of these delicate, often ignored creatures shows how much they matter to our oceans' future." —New York Times Book Review 

Jellyfish have been swimming in our oceans for well over half a billion years, longer than any other animal that lives on the planet. They make a venom so toxic it can kill a human in three minutes. Their sting—microscopic spears that pierce with five million…


The Coma Monologues

By Mario Milosevic,

Book cover of The Coma Monologues

Kim Antieau Author Of Church Of The Old Mermaids

From the list on bringing the mythic realm into our modern world.

Who am I?

I grew up in Michigan where I was outdoors in the woods most of the time, running around with my imaginary friends. I built an entire world in my imagination where girls and women were powerful and ruled the world. I wrote stories about that world, and I’ve never stopped writing or reading myths, folklore, and fairy tales. Stories are the best way to bring the mythic and hidden realms of our existence out into the open. When I catch a glimpse of other worlds through storytelling, it always feels healing. It gives me hope that there is more to our existence than what we ordinarily see.

Kim's book list on bringing the mythic realm into our modern world

Discover why each book is one of Kim's favorite books.

Why did Kim love this book?

In The Thousand and One Nights, Scheherazade famously told stories to keep herself alive. In this novel the wife of a man in a coma uses stories to coax him back to life. The storytellers she brings to his hospital bedside include a raven, a ghost, a centaur, and Scheherazade herself. Even a house gets a monologue here. I love how this book brings the mythic aspects of life into every day for the purpose of healing. The underneath here is the man’s subconscious. The entities speaking to him exist in the every day; we just don’t normally see them. This book brings them all to life. A beautiful story beautifully told.  

The Coma Monologues

By Mario Milosevic,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Coma Monologues as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Do stories have the power to heal? For Gary Hawken, life in a coma offers few perks. Nurses care for him and people sit by his bed and tell him stories, but the glorious mess of life passes him by. In a world where survival depends on his ability to understand his stories, Gary must recognize the value of his own soul. A hypnotic tale of one man’s struggle to find the truth in his own epic life.


Grandmothers of The Light

By Paula Gunn Allen,

Book cover of Grandmothers of The Light: A Medicine Woman's Sourcebook

Kim Antieau Author Of Church Of The Old Mermaids

From the list on bringing the mythic realm into our modern world.

Who am I?

I grew up in Michigan where I was outdoors in the woods most of the time, running around with my imaginary friends. I built an entire world in my imagination where girls and women were powerful and ruled the world. I wrote stories about that world, and I’ve never stopped writing or reading myths, folklore, and fairy tales. Stories are the best way to bring the mythic and hidden realms of our existence out into the open. When I catch a glimpse of other worlds through storytelling, it always feels healing. It gives me hope that there is more to our existence than what we ordinarily see.

Kim's book list on bringing the mythic realm into our modern world

Discover why each book is one of Kim's favorite books.

Why did Kim love this book?

This is Paula Gunn Allen’s modern-day retelling of many Native American tales. They feature talking animals, shape-shifting bears, and creation stories. Here, we see how the underneath comes to the surface in wondrous and awe-inspiring ways. The ordinary walks with the extraordinary. In fact, the ordinary is extraordinary. Allen sees power in these tales for women, and that’s what I loved about this book. These stories are part of a female shamanic tradition; they are in many ways medicinal. 

Grandmothers of The Light

By Paula Gunn Allen,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Grandmothers of The Light as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

This extraordinary collection of goddess stories from Native American civilizations across the continent, Paula Gunn Allen shares myths that have guided female shamans toward an understanding of the sacred for centuries.


Jack the Giant-Killer

By Charles de Lint,

Book cover of Jack the Giant-Killer

Kim Antieau Author Of Church Of The Old Mermaids

From the list on bringing the mythic realm into our modern world.

Who am I?

I grew up in Michigan where I was outdoors in the woods most of the time, running around with my imaginary friends. I built an entire world in my imagination where girls and women were powerful and ruled the world. I wrote stories about that world, and I’ve never stopped writing or reading myths, folklore, and fairy tales. Stories are the best way to bring the mythic and hidden realms of our existence out into the open. When I catch a glimpse of other worlds through storytelling, it always feels healing. It gives me hope that there is more to our existence than what we ordinarily see.

Kim's book list on bringing the mythic realm into our modern world

Discover why each book is one of Kim's favorite books.

Why did Kim love this book?

Once again, the ordinary and the extraordinary are nearly one and the same. In this book, as in all of Charles’s books, the Otherworld—in this case the faery world—is with us now. Charles is a pioneer of urban fantasy and always writes entertaining and amazing books. I love his characters. They are alive and fascinating. He plays with names and gender: for example, Jack is a woman. He invites us to pay attention to the Otherworld. He also shows us that giving the faery realm its due is not running away from reality. In this novel, stories help us to heal and live in the here and now with joy and vigor.

Jack the Giant-Killer

By Charles de Lint,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Jack the Giant-Killer as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

De Lint at his best. When Jacky's boyfriend walks out, her life changes more than she could ever imagine. In a fit of angst she chops off her long blond hair then goes out to wander the streets of Ottawa. She's startled out of her reverie by a faceless gang of bikers attacking a small man whose body disappears, leaving behind only a red cap. The cap shows Jacky an unimaginable side of Ottawa and sets her on an impossible quest to save the good fairies from their evil counterparts.

Luck, magic, and love bring to life a perilous, rollicking…


Book cover of Last Song of the Whales

Judith Simon Prager Author Of What the Dolphin Said: On the Future of Humankind

From the list on consciousness, dolphins, and wise humans.

Who am I?

Years of teaching Verbal First Aid™, hypnotic language for healing, only whet my curiosity for Non-Verbal First Aid. I love mysticism and magic, and I love science and evidence. When the two work together to illuminate profound understandings, I am such a fan. Just imagine this if you can: Dolphins’ visual and aural nerves connect so that when they send out sound beams of echolocation, it comes back as an ultra-sound-looking picture, which they can send to other dolphins! Magic and science are used by them for healing, as well. How could one NOT investigate further and be passionate about this subject?

Judith's book list on consciousness, dolphins, and wise humans

Discover why each book is one of Judith's favorite books.

Why did Judith love this book?

It is a fiction based on facts about whales and about what Four Arrows believes they are trying to tell us regarding the pollution of the Oceans that threatens us all. A whale captures a marine biologist and his encounter, feeling almost biblical but very current, reveals their important message to humanity. In this very dramatic story, you’ll also find an ecological treatise, and a call to action so needed at this time.

Last Song of the Whales

By Four Arrows,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Last Song of the Whales as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A humpback whale mysteriously takes a mixed-blood American Indian professor to sea. While struggling to survive, the man begins to reclaim his indigenous roots, and in the process discovers thousands of whales on a suicide mission in the North Pacific. When he theorizes the dire effects the whale's action could have for all of life on earth, he and a sympathetic woman marine biologist, influenced by a Hawaiian shaman's dream, against all odds, try to warn the world in time.


Our Dolphin Ancestors

By Frank Joseph,

Book cover of Our Dolphin Ancestors: Keepers of Lost Knowledge and Healing Wisdom

Judith Simon Prager Author Of What the Dolphin Said: On the Future of Humankind

From the list on consciousness, dolphins, and wise humans.

Who am I?

Years of teaching Verbal First Aid™, hypnotic language for healing, only whet my curiosity for Non-Verbal First Aid. I love mysticism and magic, and I love science and evidence. When the two work together to illuminate profound understandings, I am such a fan. Just imagine this if you can: Dolphins’ visual and aural nerves connect so that when they send out sound beams of echolocation, it comes back as an ultra-sound-looking picture, which they can send to other dolphins! Magic and science are used by them for healing, as well. How could one NOT investigate further and be passionate about this subject?

Judith's book list on consciousness, dolphins, and wise humans

Discover why each book is one of Judith's favorite books.

Why did Judith love this book?

The title doesn’t do justice to how stunning the information within it is, the very careful and thoughtful research, the documentation of our historical connection with cetaceans. Most impressive are the thorough descriptions of their brains, minds, communication skills well beyond our ability to even register and understand. Their echolocation, their ability to sense electrical signals from heartbeats, their multidimensional vocalization, and connected visual and aural brain areas allows them to send “sonic pictures” to each other, receiving “at least ten times more through the sense organs than we can,” is just for starters. Read this book and be amazed…and humbled!

Our Dolphin Ancestors

By Frank Joseph,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Our Dolphin Ancestors as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Wild animals avoid contact with humans, but wild dolphins seek us out to play and socialize, even going so far as to voluntarily rescue people from drowning. What explains this remarkable natural affinity?

Revealing the evolutionary basis for our special relationship with dolphins, Frank Joseph explains how we are both descendants of the same ancient branch of humanity.

Integrating scientific research on dolphin intelligence, communication, and physiology with enduring myths from some of the world's oldest cultures, such as the Aborigines, Norse, Greeks, and Celts, the author examines our physical commonalities with dolphins, including their vestigial thumbs and legs, birth…


5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in dolphins, the Amazon River, and Brazil?

8,000+ authors have recommended their favorite books and what they love about them. Browse their picks for the best books about dolphins, the Amazon River, and Brazil.

Dolphins Explore 16 books about dolphins
The Amazon River Explore 14 books about the Amazon River
Brazil Explore 48 books about Brazil