Recently revised for the current millennium, this beautiful new edition of Richard Grossman's 400-poem pastoral, "The Animals" invites us to enter a world where all the inhabitants speak the same language, creating a powerful literary work that voices the concerns of the entire global community. In its exploration of personal issues and emotions, this unique and moving book affirms the great family of terrestrial life, seeking to unveil the sources of its wisdom and beauty, sources that lie at the heart of all poetry. At the centre of the book is a chorus of two hundred different animals, representing the broad spectrum of earthly life. As each of the creatures sings to us, their individual stories reveal how all life shares the same suffering, dignity, and joy. Surrounding these poems are dialogues between the animals as a flock and a shepherd who tends them. "The Animals" has been described as an environmental bible, a manual of inspiration for people who are working to nourish and heal the Earth.