CLOSE FRIENDS by Peter Jenkins (Fawcett:...

CLOSE FRIENDS by Peter Jenkins (Fawcett: $4.95, illustrated). In his latest book, the author of “A Walk Across America” describes his efforts to adjust to life on a Tennessee dairy farm, stressing his relationships with the various animals around him. He obviously cares deeply about them, and writes about them with a humane warmth that enables him to see the comedy of his failure to subdue a recalcitrant bull and the tragedy of a cow with a stillborn calf. In one side adventure, he becomes involved in a plan to improve the horses of some Mongolian farmers by bringing them two Tennessee walking horse stallions. As anyone familiar with Jenkins’ other books knows, dogs are his first love, but a love tempered with wisdom. When he realizes that the husky he brought from Alaska at considerable effort can’t adapt to Tennessee, he returns the animal to its original habitat. Jenkins’ unassuming narrative is sure to delight animal lovers everywhere.