Our Animal Family

Our Animal Family invites readers to see the living world with fresh eyes. Moving from a street-level human perspective into the hidden life all around us, Jeremy Riccardi reveals how ordinary places are layered with animal stories above, below, and beyond what we usually notice. With vivid, narrative nonfiction and a clear emotional core, the book explores how animals feel, form attachments, remember harm, and carry the effects of stress and loss. It challenges the old idea that animals are driven only by instinct, showing instead that many species experience fear, trust, grief, and connection in ways that matter deeply. For animal lovers, this is both an eye-opening wake-up call and a compassionate argument for better care. By understanding the emotional lives of other species, we can begin to treat them with the respect they deserve and avoid passing trauma from one generation to the next. Our Animal Family is a thoughtful, moving call to attention, empathy, and responsibility.