Saints of Feather and Fang: How the Animals We Love and Fear Connect Us to God

Rivadeneira (Broke) explores what Christians can learn about God from studying animals in this lighthearted if meandering volume. Using personal anecdotes, scriptural interpretation, and reflections on world events, Rivadeneira suggests that animals serve as “portals and signposts” to God. The author muses about her pet pit bull: the slow redemption of the breed, once reputed to be vicious but now seen by many as protective and loving, recalls Jesus’s resurrection and redemption. Rivadeneira likens the delight one might experience watching hedgehogs on “hedgehog highways” (holes cut in residential fences facilitating hedgehog mobility and mating) to the pleasure one feels after clearing a path for God in one’s life through prayer or Bible study. Arguing that God created frightening animals so that Christians might learn to overcome their fears, Rivadeneira finds godliness even in such creatures as bats and snakes. The author’s comparisons sometimes feel strained, and a few of the chapters feel unfocused, but the down-to-earth meditations and conversational prose still charm. This entertaining tribute will appeal to Christian animal lovers. Agent: Adria Goetz, Martin Literary Management. (Apr.)