This is an unusual account of a woman scientist`s field expedition in the Ranomafana National Park of Madagascar. Of the 32 types of lemurs known to live on the island, 11 live in the park. On this trip, with guide Talata, the author encounters eight lemurs. The pair also observe an array of exotic birds, a hedgehog, insect-eating bats, city and forest rats. an orb-weaver spider, ring-tailed and broad-striped mongooses, a civet, tree frogs, freshwater crabs, a fossa, giant earthworms, leeches, millipedes, and an aye-aye. The key encounters are handsomely and faithfully illustrated, and the first-person descriptions bring the story to life.