People usually are considered to be the trainers and teachers of animals, but animals have much to teach us if we just take the time to watch, listen, and learn. This book includes more than 120 original photos illustrating what animals can teach us about daily life. Each image caption offers a short story of what the photo represents.
The farm animals in this book help children learn to read. Pictures help early readers figure out and memorize words. Children learn best when the experience is pleasant, fun, or funny.
Animal pictures and easy words are also extremely helpful to the elderly and for dementia patients. Family photo albums sometimes are frustrating for people experiencing memory loss and dementia. Animal photos, however, are simple triggers to things people have experienced in the past. Why animals? Animals don't have criticism or agendas, they are accepting, entertaining, and often comforting.
Donna Lindahl grew up in a small mining town in northern Minnesota where her dad was a photographer and her mom was a photojournalist. From an early age Donna watched her parents describe people's lives with pictures and words. "Get the story" became Donna's focus from a young age as she helped her dad process photographs in the darkroom and spent time with her mom talking about stories and news assignments. During college Donna worked as a newspaper photographer. As an Army wife she worked as a dog groomer. She describes her "best day ever" as when she got a job at a military riding stable as a trail guide and "entered the world of horse."Donna is now retired on her horse farm where photo-ops and stories abound. Every person and every animal have something to share...and Donna wants to "get the story."
Dave Carlson is a "jack of all trades" and "master of many." He and his DynoTech enterprises (DynoTech Consulting, DynoTech Publishing, and DynoTech Software) have published more than 30 titles sold in all 50 United States and 95 other countries since 1992. He has five formal higher-education degrees and has authored many thousands of pages of fiction and non-fiction work.Dave is enjoying his well-deserved retirement after more than 50 years of working (first full-time job was in 1970), including serving for more than 35 years as a US Army Engineer Officer. He retired from both the U.S. Army and Federal Civil Service. He remains active with various consulting engagements related to computer technology, computer-aided illustrating, book editing, and publishing.
