ANIMAL FATHERS

The seahorse who hatches the female's eggs in his pouch is a commonly cited example of a nurturing father; it's less widely broadcast that both the Siamese fighting fish and the stickle-back famous for his male aggression also preside over their hatchlings. The sea catfish "uses his mouth as a nursery," and similar patterns occur in certain frogs and toads, while the bird parents cited here divide things more equitably and even the gray wolf and gibbon who leave the bulk of infant care to their mates are faithful helpers. Here too of course is that picture of paternal devotion—the penguin who starves and shivers on top of his young while their mother fattens up for her shift. Freedman's fourteen simply written double-page profiles, each one illustrated in soft black and white, are enlightening in themselves—and, together, they'll help to balance all those on animal mothers.