"Inside Animal Hearts and Minds" by Belinda Recio is an enchanting and captivating collection of animal stories. Readers are transported into the emotional and intellectual world of animals, gaining a deeper understanding of their thoughts and feelings. I listened to the audiobook, and thought that Hayden Panettiere was the perfect choice for a narrator. My 8 year old son and I were completely absorbed in the story while listening in the car. These wonderful stories have given me a new appreciation for the intricate inner lives of our animal companions. I would like to read the physical copy to see the photos included.

This book has been a great listening experience. Thanks to the author and the publisher for bringing this book to life.

As many children did, I considered a career as a veterinarian, until I realized it would break my heart everyday.

I loved learning the various complexity behind the different animals social order (methods of communication etc). If this book were required reading, and if individuals would truly open their hearts and minds to the types of lesson such research could provide us and apply them among humankind the world would rapidly become a kinder and more loving place. This offering helps us respect and value the amazing creatures that embody the animal kingdom. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read this amazing book, I will watch for more from this author!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this Audiobook in exchange for an honest review.


I loved listening to this book, it was so interesting and fascinating to discover that animals had such emotional and cognitive abilities. They make jokes between themselves, they laugh, they draw, they count or have their own language and so on. Animals are so amazing and smart creatures on this earth and to love them means to protect them over all.
I really had such a great time with this book while discovering stories about a special animal from a different species and how they were able to reveal their intelligences. Also, I admire the reseachers and scientists that took most of their lives in order to study these wonderful creatures and to make it easy for us to just realize that they are really gifted.

An interesting and light-hearted look at the 'humanity' of animals! How we aren't so different, and how empathetic they are. Thoroughly enjoyable. There were some moments where the track seemed to skip or wasn't edited very well together, but I don't if that's because it's a proof version.

This is a really interesting, educational and fascinating book about animals, and how they communicate and interact with each other. We are shown heartwarming examples of different animal emotions and behaviours, which left me in awe of these beautiful creatures. I am already an animal lover, but this book helped me to feel closer to animals, and to be able to understand them more.

I loved the audiobook narrator; she had a really pleasant voice, and I really enjoyed listening to her American accent.

This book is a must have for any animal lover. It is really great and amazing. Highly recommended!

Many thanks to the author, narrator, publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this book.

I read this book on the heels of another with similar content. That book was about animals who rescue, while this is a slightly lighter collection of 'special behaviour' that certain animals have shown and, with them, stunned the humans around them. There was even some overlap between the two, with a couple of short instances I recognised from the other.
I would not recommend reading these in tandem, but both are definitely worth the read/listen. My experience is obviously mildly different because of the timing.
This book contains exactly what it promises, some touching and other funnier instances of animals making connections with humans and showing the latter what they are more than capable of. It is a mere fraction of animals' capacities, I am sure, but they are fascinating to hear. This is the kind of positive book to pick up and go through a chapter or two at a time.
The author has done a lot of research - she likes and manages to convey that affection for the subject. I think the physical copy will come with pictures which might actually be even better, although the narrator does a great job of getting the images of the animals and their antics to come alive.
I cannot pinpoint any individual chapter that struck me more intriguing than any other, but I think if you have any favourites before going in, I am sure you can find a narrative or two that might mean more to you.
I would read the author again or listen to a book narrated by the same narrator in the future if I get the chance.
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

I loved the science based information to relay how animals feel and providing real world examples of what has happened between humans and other animals. Great read for any animal lover!

I'm so thrilled to learn about the animals. Due to numerous circumstances, I wasn't able to finish the book, but I enjoy learning how animals interact and how their minds work. I'm getting back to reading this informative and entertaining book.

Beautifully assembled tales of animal consciousness shared in pursuit of a cause: that we humans stop thinking animals don't have feelings and aren't worthy of humane treatment.

I loved listening to this book as an audiobook; the narrator was engaging and the anecdotes about different animals were fascinating and charming. Plus it was the kind of book you could dip in and out of without worrying about whether or not you had retained the thread of a plot.

Thanks to Netgalley and Skyhorse Publishing for providing me with a free audio version of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I found this story super interesting with lots to really make you think.
However i disliked the audio version and would perhaps have been better reading it myself. I found the narrator to be too slow and not quite right when sped up.

As a huge animal lover I found this audiobook moving, entertaining, astounding and humbling.

We as humans, need to take more notice of animals. This audio shows that.
Great research for lots of great facts.

Thank you to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial Audio for an audiobook copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a touching summary about animal behaviors. I really enjoyed listening to this collection of animal stories. This book includes stories of animals showing emotion, kindness, intelligence and love. It is a must read for animal lovers.
My favorite thing about this audiobook is that the author Belinda Recio seems to have done all of the hard work in bringing all of these stories and scientific reports together in one pint size package.

This was an interesting read. The stories shared about various animals or species and the manner in which they show intelligence, demonstrate their playful natures, and perform acts of heroism is amazing. The description of the research done, which shows the abilities of animals, is explained in layman’s terms so it is easy to comprehend. A good book to read if you are interested in animals and biology.

Thank you to NetGalley and Skyhorse Publishing for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

A remarkable collection of facts about animals. I learned so much, it's crazy! I was amazed to learn the coolest stuff about prairie dogs, crows, parrots, octopi, parrots... Oh, the list goes on! It's a "happy read" for me.

Note for Christian readers: Evolution is mentioned a few times.

Audiobook listeners: Hayden Panettiere does an excellent job narrating. Would listen to more from her.

Recommended for: Adults & Teens
Suitable for: Ages 12 and up

A beautiful book for adults and children alike which delves into the inner worlds of animals and shows through multiple examples that they really aren't all that different from humans. A must for any animal lover. The stories here are heart warming and educational, often hilarious and always surprising. It really does show a side to the animal kingdom that we don't often see and the audio book is beautifully narrated.

This book was incredibly interesting and made me see animals in a completely different light. As humans we perceive animals as a lesser kind. Incapable of showing signs of “humanity” this book evidences that this concept is wrong. Animals are intelligent, initiative and very human-like.

This was a fascinating book. If you think you know animals this will still surprise you! A book like this can not be long enough. I listened to the audio. Thank you to the Author and Publisher for this Advanced Readers Copy through NetGalley.

This was a fantastic and informative audio book. Packed full of interesting stories and facts about Animals, from gorillas who can sign to dolphins who mimic, this audio book was a glimpse into the intelligence of mammals.
As it was non fiction, there were also dates and studies listed so that if you wanted to do some further reading you could.
The Narrator was lively and engaging, brining a warmth and humour to the book.
Would recommend to any animal lover or perhaps a teen interested in animal studies.

I loved this audiobook so much! It was not only extremely interesting but you could tell there was a lot of research that was involved. What really did it for me was that Hayden was the narrator. They couldn’t have picked a better narrator. Especially because of how she feels about animals. I definitely appreciate animals more after reading this book.