Cultural Writing. Fiction. Poetry. Essays. Art. From Native American tales and explorers' accounts to fiction and poetry by established and emerging writers, this new anthology is a playful exploration of how animals excite our imagination and compassion. Each piece in the anthology is a snapshot of a different animal, with "field notes" preceding each selection. The book also includes a collection of artwork and a timeline of animal-related milestones in California.. "CALIFAUNA is.an important book for the state of California. These essays, poems, and excerpts are windows onto the romantic California of recent history and its most native inhabitants, seen through the eyes of some of the earliest and most articulate modern visitors of the area"—The Bloomsbury Review. A one-of-a-kind collection, CALIFAUNA not only encourages us to indulge in the richness of the animal world but also celebrates the creativity our fellow creatures inspire in us.