Ranch of Dreams: 4

Tucked away in the rolling country of east Texas is Black Beauty Ranch, home to unwanted, mistreated or abandoned animals. Amory (The Cat Who Came for Christmas) realized a childhood dream when he established the animal haven in 1980. Here, he gives an engaging account of the many creatures who have found refuge there, among them Nim, the famous ""talking"" chimpanzee-he has an extraordinary facility with sign language-rescued from a laboratory. There are also dogs, cats, horses, elephants and prairie dogs. Amory, founder of the Fund for Animals, recounts some of his (and the Fund's) battles with government agencies, including: rescuing goats on San Clemente Island (taking on the navy), burros in the Grand Canyon (the Park Service) and wild horses in Nevada (the Bureau of Land Management). Amory also takes corporate titans like Ted Turner and Malcolm Forbes and organizations such as the San Diego Zoo to task for their poor treatment of animals. Amory's stories will captivate any animal lover, and readers will be delighted to learn that the ranch welcomes visitors. Simultaneous Penguin Audiobook; author tour. (Nov.)