It is exactly like "Isaiah" 11:6: "The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid..." Written by "National Geographic" magazine writer Jennifer Holland, "Unlikely Friendships" documents one heart warming tale after another of animals who, with nothing else in common, bond in the most unexpected ways. A cat and a bird. A mare and a fawn. An elephant and a sheep. A snake and a hamster. It includes the well-documented stories of Koko the gorilla and All Ball the kitten; and the hippo Owen and the tortoise Mzee. And almost inexplicable stories of predators befriending prey - an Indian leopard slips into a village every night to sleep with a calf. A lionness mothers a baby oryx. Ms. Holland narrates the details and arc of each story, and also offers insights into why - how the young leopard, probably motherless, sought maternal comfort with the calf, and how a baby oryx inspired the same mothering instinct in the lionness. Or, in the story of Kizzy, a nervous retired Greyhound, and Murphy, a red tabby, how cats and dogs actually understand each other's body language. With Murphy's friendship and support, Kizzy recovered from life as a racing dog and became a confident, loyal family pet. These are the most amazing friendships between species, collected from around the world and documented in a selection of full-colour candid photographs.

Enhanced with beautiful full-colour photographs, these true stories of camaraderie, affection, and remarkable bravery are from the author of the New York Times bestsellers Unlikely Friendships, Unlikely Loves, and Unlikely Heroes, as well as other books and calendars, with nearly two-million copies in print. Meet Rex, a Belgian Malinois who learned to love and trust again through the improbable friendship of a goose. The pit bull named Dolly, whose antics with her best friend, Sheldon the tortoise, include games of tag. For the millions of dog lovers, this heart-warming and inspirational book celebrates 39 stories of unusual canine companionship.

Calling all love birds - or cats, kangaroos, and boa constrictors! From the bestselling author of Unlikely Friendships, Unlikely Loves is an exploration of animal attachments that, in human terms, can only be called love. Take, for instance, the dog living in a wildlife sanctuary who treats an orphaned leopard cub as his little beloved sister. Or the dalmation who mothers an abandoned newborn lamb - a lamb who just happened to be covered in spots like her adopted mama. Or the story of the fox and the hound, who are as affectionate as brothers. Or even the black swan who becomes inseparable with a swan boat! Behind each of these unusual pairings is a beautiful love story. Interviewing scientists and zoologists around the world, Holland has tracked down firsthand sources and interviewed eyewitnesses to verify each of the stories, which are accompanied by beautiful - and sometimes truly unbelievable - photographs.

In her heartwarming New York Times bestsellers Unlikely Friendships and last year s Unlikely Loves, Jennifer Holland revealed the surprising emotional bonds that exist between animals of different species. Her books spent dozens of weeks on bestseller lists and caught the attention of major media from CBS This Morning to USA Today. Why? Because she opened our eyes to the rich inner lives of animals, showing us that the power of love and friendship is not for humans only. In Unlikely Heroes, Ms. Holland uncovers and celebrates yet another side of animals that we often think belongs primarily to people heroism, 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 Naki o, 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 life that s him, smiling on the cover of the book."