I try to spend as much time outdoors as possible. Lucky for me, my job as a field ethologist has allowed me to pursue my passions and I thrive on seeing, hearing, and smelling the presence of wild animals.

So, when I first heard about Brenda Peterson's beautifully written new book Wild Chorus: Finding Harmony with Whales, Wolves, and Other Animals, I couldn't wait to get my hands on it and indulge in a cacophony of senses. In a time in which so many people feel alienated from nature, Brenda seamlessly draws us into the fascinating worlds of a wide variety of nonhuman animal beings so that we can experience what life is like for them.

Wild Chorus explores how, when we open up our senses and hearts to what animals are saying to one another and us, we can "rewild" ourselves and feel at one with the magnificent animals with whom we share our awe-inspiring planet. Here's what Brenda had to say about her latest landmark book.

Marc Bekoff: Why did you write this book?

Brenda Peterson: I was raised as a wild animal on a remote national forest lookout station with many more animals than people. This gave me a very different relationship with wildlife than most nature or science writers. I didn’t have stuffed animals; I had mounted deer heads over my crib who I believed were my babysitters.

I expected one day to become a wild animal and maybe grow antlers or howl like a wolf. All my animal books come from being imprinted on animals. Wild Chorus is a culmination of my life writing about and learning from other animals—from wolves to whales to birds to dogs and cats. They were my first teachers, my siblings, my lifelong companions. Wild Chorus explores what........

© Psychology Today