Grandin, Temple & Catherine Johnson. Animals in Translation: Using the Mysteries of Autism to Decode Animal Behavior.

GRANDIN, Temple & Catherine Johnson. Animals in translation; using the mysteries of autism to decode animal behavior. Harcourt, Harvest. 358p. notes. bibliog. c2005. 0-15-603144-2. $15.00. SA *

To quote the review of the audiobook in KLIATT, November 2005: If you wanted to devise an inspection system that would insure that farm animals are humanely treated, would you use a 10-point checklist or a 100-point checklist? Grandin convincingly argues for the 10-point checklist. A professor at Colorado State University and animal behavior expert who is herself autistic, Grandin has a brilliant ability to get to the heart of the matter, and explains why a simple 10-point system that looks at specific items is far more effective than an endless list of 100 points, many of them trivial, in which a poorly run farm could pass 95 of the points yet badly flunk the five most important ones.

This wide-ranging book discusses many aspects of animal behavior, care, training and intelligence. Grandin is interested in the special affinity she, as an autistic person, feels with animals. This warm. compassionate treatment will appeal to animal lovers, people interested in human origins, and pet owners. Susan Offner, Teacher, Lexington HS, Lexington, MA