My Family and 50 Other Animals: A Year with Britain’s Mammals

Britain is home to almost 100 species of mammals. Many of them are nocturnal, almost all are difficult to see, and most people – even very keen natural history enthusiasts – struggle to see more than about 10 a year – rabbits, foxes, a few deer, perhaps. So can one ordinary young family manage 50 in just one year? Dominic Couzens’ colourful and amusing narrative charts the peaks and troughs of one such year, as he and his wife, Carolyn, take up the challenge – with Emily (5) and Samuel (3) in tow – scouring the length and breadth of the British Isles in search of everything from Weasels and Stoats to Edible Dormice, Killer Whales to Wallabies. Featuring grumpy bats and psychopathic mice, a host of eccentric human characters, and the usual holiday stresses and family squabbles “My Family and 50 Other Animals” is a unique and uniquely charming blend of travel, natural history, and family that will amuse, inform and inspire its readers in equal measure.