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Look Big

And Other Tips for Surviving Animal Encounters of All Kinds

Author Rachel Levin

Paperback

$14.99 US

Clarkson Potter/Ten Speed | Ten Speed Press

5.49"W x 8.37"H x 0.57"D | 12 oz | 40 per carton

On sale Apr 10, 2018 | 144 Pages | 978-0-399-58037-6

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A humorous and helpful illustrated field guide to avoiding interactions--both dangerous and annoying--with 50 wild animals, including survival techniques, wildlife etiquette, and other essential advice.

As humans encroach on wild places, encounters with animals--from bears, bison, mountain lions, and mice to turkeys, ticks, rats, and raccoons--have become increasingly commonplace. But, wait, what are the rules for facing a moose up close? Do you run from a coyote or stand your ground? How deadly, really, are black widow spiders, rattlesnakes, and sharks? Packed with expert tips, fascinating animal facts, and harrowing true tales, Look Big is a must-have survival guide for outdoor, urban, and suburban adventurers alike. If you have ever feared the approach of a grizzly, the spray of a skunk, or an army of cockroaches in the kitchen, this book is for you.

"Hilarious but genuinely helpful. . ."
-- Buzzfeed

"Ms. Levin has mastered the art of describing animals and their behavior in archly urban ways. . . a nifty idea carried out with humor and a deft touch."
-- Wall Street Journal

"Look Big is the definitive guide for anyone who has ever wondered what to do in an animal encounter. With equal parts humor and sound advice, Rachel Levin provides all the info you need to defuse a major critter crisis. Just don’t run. Unless it’s an alligator."
-- Christopher Keyes, editor of Outside magazine

"Journalist Levin gives well-researched advice for surviving run-ins with coyotes, bears, and moose, among other large animals, along with helpful tips, anecdotes, and charts for dealing with smaller critters, from bees to skunks. The illustrations make it the perfect coffee table book, while its small size means it also fits nicely in a backpack."
-- Real Simple

". . . lays out expert tactics for encounters with animals of all shapes and sizes with wit."
-- Martha Stewart Living

"Rachel Levin’s light-hearted read combines funny stories about wildlife encounters with facts and knowledgeable tips on what to do if you find yourself faced with any one of 50 North American creatures, from alligators to bed bugs. You’ll be ready to walk on the wild side in no time."
-- Afar.com

"This book both amused and empowered me. I’m now prepared to haze a goose or do hand-to-hand combat with a cougar . . . whatever it takes."
-- Jon Mooallem, author of Wild Ones and American Hippopotamus

"Levin takes a fun-filled, practical approach to dealing with all kinds of critters. . . Beyond being a simple and speedy reference book, the gorgeous and often humorous illustrations from Jeff Östberg make this fun to flip through, too. . . You'll likely find yourself spending more time than you expected learning how to look big."
-- Mother Nature Network

RACHEL LEVIN has written for the New Yorker, the New York Times, Outside, Lucky Peach, and Sunset magazine, where she was a senior travel editor. She is a contributing writer at San Franciscomagazine and was recently named the first San Francisco restaurant critic for Eater. A member of the San Francisco Writers' Grotto, her work has been included in Best Food Writing and other books. She has also appeared on NPR's Marketplace, KQED's Forum, and on stage at Pop-Up Magazine. View titles by Rachel Levin

It’s an increasingly wild world out there. Wildlife and humans have long been at odds, in ways both big and small. But as we continue to build 4,000-square-foot homes where forests once stood and pile into cities (predator-free, all-you-can-eat buffets for the animals that follow), our lives are intersecting more and more. It turns out, animals appreciate the ease of urban and suburban life as much as we do. They’re thriving. We’re cowering. And it’s getting a little out of hand for everyone involved.

Rats are having pizza parties in Philadelphia. Bears are climbing into kitchens in the Sierra. Coyotes are casing playgrounds in Los Angeles. Mountain lions are mauling dogs in Denver backyards. And, in Ocean City, New Jersey, seagulls are swiping pizza and popcorn right out of people’s hands.

The thing is, though, people aren’t acting any better.

Last year, researcher Vincenzo Penteriani concluded that nearly half of attacks by large carnivores—including bears, coyotes, and cougars—are associated with “unnecessarily risky human behavior,” also known as blatantly stupid human behavior.

***

The tips are all out there, somewhere—outdated, updated, posted at the trailhead or at the beach, buried on nps.gov or on the back of your bottle of bug repellent. I thought it’d be handy to have everything in one place: an authoritative, all-in-one guide to dealing with North America’s most feared or frustrating animals. As a semi-neurotic urbanite who loves the outdoors—just not coming face-to-face with every creature in it—writing this book was like a form of exposure therapy, an attempt to work it all out for myself, so that the next time I’m hiking in the Sawtooth National Forest or running at Point Reyes National Seashore or picking nits out of my daughter’s hair, I’ll feel a little more prepared.

I mean, I’ll still freak out. But at least I’ll have all the info. And now, so will you.