Introduction: A mystery -- Part 1. Beautiful acts : life-changing encounters with species not our own. In the family of animals ; The aching heart ; The mind-altering power of deep animal connection ; The octopus who stopped time -- Part 2. What the wild heart still knows : the art and science of communicating with other animals. Becoming the grasshopper ; Intimacy is all around us ; Earth's oldest language ; How to talk with birds ; Playing well with others -- Part 3. How we co-become : wonderdogs and werecats, therapy lizards and robot pets. More than human ; The animal lover ; Reptiles and ambivalence ; The boy who said horse ; The replacements : do we really need animals -- Part 4. The age of connectedness : creating a home for all creatures. New ways to live together ; The betweens ; Welcome to Symbiocene City ; The new Noahs -- Part 5. Wild souls : love, humility, and the principle of reciprocity. Dreaming animals ; The peaceable kingdom ; Learning and teaching in a school of animals ; The bear.