What Does the Crow Know?: The Mysteries of Animal Intelligence »

Pamela Johnson collaborated on three other titles, such as And Then There was One: The Mysteries of Extinction. SHe lives in Sedgewick, Maine.

Margery Facklam collaborated on three other titles in his highly acclaimed series: And Then There Was One: The Mysteries of Extinction; Do Not Disturb: The Mysteries of animal Hibernation and Sleep; and Bees Dance and Whales Sing; The Mysteries of Animal Communication. Ms Facklam lives in upstate New York.

Do animals think? Are they creative? Can they remember things that happened in the past? Do they learn and plan ahead? Are they aware of what they're doing--or are they just programmed by the built-in patterns of behavior called instinct?

Award-winning science author Margery Facklam offers some unexpected answers to these and other questions about animal intelligence. She looks at how lions plan a hunt, how crows and ravens solve practical problems, and how guide dogs practice "intelligent disobedience." She also introduces young readers to Darrell, a chimp who is learning fractions; Alex, a parrot who uses the English language to demonstrate original, logical thinking; Ruby, and elephant who creates abstract art with brushes and paints; and many more remarkable creatures.

Facklam's fresh, lively text and Pamela Johnson's superbly detailed pencil drawings provide young readers with an intriguing look at how scientists study animal intelligence inthe laboratory and in the wild. The findings are often surprising--and always fascinating.

Children's Literature

The intelligence of animals, a field only recently studied with intensity, has deep roots. Facklam provides a brief and informative history of the study of animal intelligence. Several examples are presented, beginning with Clever Hans, a horse that appeared to be able to perform simple arithmetic. Hans was indeed a clever horse, but he was also receiving hidden clues from his trainer, which led to the development of blind testing of animals. Different animals display different levels of intelligence, but one thing that Facklam is quick to point out is that it matters very little how animals score on human intelligence tests. Animals learn how to behave in order to survive in the wild. While many animals cannot read or write, they are clever enough to hunt for food and to figure out ways to fool prey and even humans. Johnson provides striking black-and-white drawings of the animals and situations mentioned in the book. 2001 (orig. 1994), Sierra Club Books for Children, $6.95. Ages 8 to 12. Reviewer: Danielle Williams

Clever Hans and Bored Cats

Amazing Alex and Other Bird Brains

An Elephant Never Forgets

Count On It

Learning to Disobey

Index