Animal Assisted Play Therapy is an encyclopedic and clearly written book that surely will set the standard for many years to come. Weaving in wonderful stories and case studies with available scientific data, Risë VanFleet and Tracie Faa-Thompson have written a comprehensive and wide-ranging volume—a detailed practical guide—that is a must-read for everyone who is involved in any type of animal assisted therapy. It’s impossible to cover all of the areas that are discussed in great detail, so here are a few snippets that should whet readers’ appetites for learning more about the numerous areas the authors cover. These include recognizing the importance of play for both humans and nonhumans that makes therapy more enjoyable and enriching for all participants, paying very close attention to the animals’ point of view and well-being as a voluntary partner in therapy rather than as a non-consenting co-therapist, and being sure there is a good fi t in the personalities of the humans and the nonhumans between whom a deep reciprocal partnership is formed. I learned an incredible amount from reading and rereading sections of this landmark book, and it’s easy to see how it will remain the significant go-to reference for people practicing animal assisted therapy for many years to come.
