My first impression of the book was very different from what this turned out. I thought it would be a satire like Poonachi or Animal Farm, but it turned out to be a solid discussion on intelligence and survival instincts of farm animals. I was a little off-put by it but still decided to give it a try.
Right from the introduction, it was very evident how much Rosamund knows her farm animals and how close she’s with them. In the introduction, she briefs about her life on the farm and dealing with farm animals, which was interesting to read. She mentions that we often judge the animals by the extent of human intelligence, which is wrong as the animals know what is required for them to know. She shares anecdotes of how the calves and pigs have shown intelligent survival instincts at times when she has not expected that from them.
Throughout the book, she shares stories of different farm animals, pigs, cows, hens, horses, etc. and how they have an understanding of their surrounding, their relationships with their mothers and other farm animals. Rosamund points out that animals develop and transfer survival knowledge to their offsprings if they are given a natural environment to grow.
There’s a personal touch to all the stories she tells us. She uses names and writes in great detail about all the animals in the book, showing how well she has known them and how personal these stories are to her. Overall, it was an okay read for me. It got repetitive sometimes, which was off-putting. I would recommend this if you like reading books about animals, or are interested in reading about farm animals.
The Book Told Me That 