Simmons (film, television, and media studies, U. of Auckland) and Armstrong (English and cultural studies, U. of Canterbury) present twelve essays by New Zealander and Australian scholars in philosophy, literary criticism, art history, and cultural studies on topics in the emerging "animal studies" discipline. The contributors view humans as animals among other animals, challenging the notion that the humanities are reserved for human nature only. Essays examine human-animal interactions and cultures through not exclusively or necessarily biological viewpoints. Concepts illuminated here include beast fables, anthropomorphs, humanimals, and l'animot. Annotation ©2007 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)