With 14 million copies of his 30 books sold in 52 languages, Farley Mowat’s name is established internationally among adults. These excerpts from eight of his autobiographical books should go a long way toward interesting a younger audience in his work.

One of the problems faced in anthologizing excerpts is continuity. Here the problem has been addressed by gathering the various anecdotes into thematic sections such as The Family Mowat, Mutt, The Others (meaning wild animals), Adventures, and Becoming a Writer. But the ongoing theme that ties the whole book together is the story of how Mowat became a naturalist. The reader experiences pivotal moments in his development: when, for example, out hunting with his father, young Farley is awestruck by the sight of whistling swans that come “out of the storm scud like ghostly ships” and later is sickened to watch a wounded Canada goose frantically trying to take off as it calls after its vanishing flock. Mowat vows never to hunt again. But there are more harsh lessons before he becomes a dedicated naturalist: egg hunting at 15 with his uncle in Churchill, Manitoba he begins to suspect the hypocrisy behind calling this a scientific expedition. Later, as a young man returned from the Second World War, we see him mount a very different kind of expedition for his first encounter with wolves. Woven into the naturalist theme are scenes of pure farce with his beloved mongrel, Mutt, the two owls that ride on his shoulders and give him status in his Saskatoon neighbourhood, the leaky sailboat that barely makes it back to safe harbour.

Mowat’s writing, elegant and sophisticated, makes no concessions to young readers, but the adventures are exciting enough to carry them past encounters with difficult vocabulary. Problems could arise, however, from the chronological leaps introduced by the editorial selection. To maintain the thematic structure, scenes of Mowat as a boy are mixed with anecdotes from his adult life. Introductory paragraphs help the reader shift from scene to scene and decade to decade but may still be confusing to younger readers. A good solution is for parents to read selections aloud and provide explanations where necessary. This also offers a pleasant way for a family to enjoy together the adventures of a true Canadian eccentric.