What role does an animal play in a child's developing sense of self? Are children and animals interacting in ways no longer recognizable to adults? The Significance of Children and Animals addresses these and other intriguing questions by revealing the interconnected lives of the inhabitants of the preschool classroom - an environment abounding in childish verbal and nonverbal interactions with birds, turtles, toads, birds, bugs, and other creatures. Regarded as a pivotal analysis of child-animal interaction with wider implications for human-animal studies, the original 1998 edition has been revised here to incorporate the recent literature, while preserving the basic nature of the text. This book provides a delightful and rewarding opportunity for parents, educators, and students of early childhood social development, as well as scholars of the intersection of human experience and the natural environment.