Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:
A lively and charming account of one human's relationship with an orphaned beaver kit.
On May 10, 2020, an orphaned beaver kit was found in St. Albans, Vermont and handed over to John Aberth, a licensed volunteer wildlife rehabilitator. Over the next two years, John raised the kit, whom he nicknamed "BK," and prepared him for release back into the wild. During that time, John and BK developed a special and unique bond, which John documented in a daily diary. That diary became the basis for Bringing Up Beaver , a lively and engaging account of one human's relationship with a wild animal.
Bringing Up Beaver is more than just a feel-good story about human encounters with nature. Full of fascinating observations about beaver behavior and biology, Bringing Up Beaver also documents the unique challenges and obstacles to be faced and overcome in rehabbing a wild beaver kit. Populating the story are plenty of other wild creatures that John encounters in the course of his journey with BK, including other beavers--one of whom became BK's mate--as well as hawks, owls, mink, and weasels.
For anyone who has been charmed by a beaver's "smile" or enjoyed books like Fox and I and Eager, Bringing Up Beaver is a must read that will give us a new perspective on the wildlife and natural world all around us.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
"On May 10, 2020, an orphaned beaver kit was found in St. Albans, Vermont and handed over to John Aberth, a licensed volunteer wildlife rehabilitator. Over the next two years, John raised the kit, whom he nicknamed "BK," and prepared him for release back into the wild. During that time, John and BK developed a special and unique bond, which John documented in a daily diary. That diary became the basis for Bringing Up Beaver, a lively and engaging account of one human's relationship with a wild animal. Bringing Up Beaver is more than just a feel-good story about human encounters with nature. Full of fascinating observations about beaver behavior and biology, Bringing Up Beaver also documents the unique challenges and obstacles to be faced and overcome in rehabbing a wild beaver kit. Populating the story are plenty of other wild creatures that John encounters in the course of his journey with BK, including other beavers--one of whom became BK's mate--as well as hawks, owls, mink, and weasels"-- Provided by publisher.
Reviews provided by Syndetics
Publishers Weekly Review
Licensed volunteer wildlife rehabilitator Aberth (Black Death) offers a cute account of how he and his wife, Laura, rescued a beaver kit who was orphaned after a farmer took a backhoe to its colony's dam. Discovered by a local on a walk, "the little reddish-brown furry creature" was dropped off at the Aberth home with only a 10% chance of survival. Aberth recounts how the kit, named "BK," initially refused to eat; Aberth's rehab experience was mostly with minks and raptors, so he summoned help from the "Beaver Lady," a specialist who encouraged him to switch from baby bottle to syringe. Elsewhere, Aberth details how he recreated the kit's natural environs in his backyard by constructing an elaborate enclosure with a "spacious Dogloo and his own garden pool," and recounts finding BK a mate ahead of the kit's release back into the wild. First, they introduced the pair to an outdoor enclosure in a stream on their property, which involved some bumps: a local beaver trapper alleged Aberth was tampering with wildlife, forcing him to hire a lawyer to continue with his mission. Ultimately, this saga of an intense human-animal bond ends on a touching note, with a "bittersweet" send-off. Animal lovers will be charmed. (Aug.)
Booklist Review
In this charming text, Aberth chronicles the two years he spent rehabilitating an orphaned beaver referred to as Beaver Kit or BK. To provide for BK's basic needs, Aberth faces the challenges of creating suitable indoor and outdoor habitats, finding an acceptable mate (food, warmth, shelter, and companionship), creating enrichment opportunities, and supplying an adequate amount of willow and poplar sticks and Rodent Chow nuggets. The writing is lively, informational, and amusing, especially Aberth's naming conventions for characters throughout the book, including Beaver Lady, an expert in the field of beaver rehabilitation, Mr. Beaver Deceiver, who invented a Flow Device that deceives beavers into thinking they don't need to dam the water flow in their habitat, to Beaver Killer, a beaver trapper who filed a complaint about Aberth's outdoor beaver enclosure. Also included are stories about some of the other animals Aberth has rehabilitated, including hawks, a mink, owls, and a weasel. The author's passion and commitment for caring for wildlife will encourage readers to find their own ways to fight to preserve biodiversity.
Kirkus Book Review
Coming to the rescue. In this educational memoir, licensed wildlife rehabilitator Aberth recounts the two years during which he and his wife, Laura, rehabilitated a baby beaver, or kit, in Vermont. In 2020, Aberth received a call about a beaver that had become orphaned when his colony's lodge was crushed by a farmer trying to remove a dam. Aberth had never rehabbed a beaver, so he consulted an expert to give "BK" the best chance of survival. "Beavers get a bad rap," Aberth writes. "If wildlife are the 'persecuted minority' of the animal world--to whom almost no laws protecting against cruelty to animals apply--then beavers are the persecuted minority of wild animals. They are in the same family as rats. Most people consider them a nuisance." The author details the care that he and Laura provided the kit, including taking him on daily excursions to a stream to help him learn "beaver life skills." When feeding the animal, Aberth writes, BK showed "us his belly as he begged for nuggets, which was terribly cute." BK had company, too, with Aberth caring for a Dutch rabbit, snowy owl, baby weasel, and Cooper's hawk. After several foiled attempts, the author found BK the perfect companion: "Mrs. Beaver." Two years passed, and BK and Mrs. Beaver were ready to be released into the wild. "Finding a suitable release site was the hardest part of beaver rehab," Aberth notes. The author's writing is straightforward, if a bit flat. Readers looking to coexist with wild animals will find a short but useful manifesto at the end of the book. It includes this sensible belief: "All wild animals play a role in the earth's ecosystem and thus have value. To demonize an animal is to define it solely in terms of human understanding, not as an integral part of the 'web of life' whose interconnections lie beyond our ken." An informative account of helping a creature both great and small. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
TextPublisher: New York : Pegasus Books, 2025Edition: First Pegasus Books editionDescription: 202 pages : illustrations (chiefly color) ; 22 cmContent type: