Pests & Other Friends - by Halsey Berryman (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

Pests and so-called nuisance animals get a bad rap...

...but each and every one of them serves a purpose in their ecosystem. Learn how helpful, intelligent, and fascinating these creatures can be in this lushly illustrated exploration of North American wildlife.

Armadillos dig holes in backyards, but did you know that they also consume many troublesome species like fire ants, yellowjackets, and cockroaches? Or that prairie dog burrows provide other animals with much needed shelter? From the deserts of the Southwest to the city streets of the East Coast, Pests & Other Friends celebrates the unique ways in which these underappreciated animals benefit their individual environments.

Halsey Berryman's beautifully detailed, whimsical artwork captures the distinctive traits of these regularly slandered critters, ensuring you'll never look at pigeons, skunks, or alligators the same way again.

About the Author

Halsey Berryman (she/her) is an illustrator and lettering artist from Washington, DC, who grew up between DC, Harvard, Massachusetts, and Taos, New Mexico. Halsey received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in 2014 from the Corcoran College of Art + Design, where she studied painting and drawing. Some of her clients include the Washington Post, AOC for Congress, Sleater-Kinney, Austin City Limits Music Festival, PBS, Bird Collective, and the National Day Laborer Organizing Network. Halsey's work explores the interaction between the human and natural world, and what these often humorous exchanges and commonalities can teach us during the Anthropocene. Drawn to the most maligned creatures, Halsey's work is often centered around the underdogs of the animal world, underscoring social and political parallels with animal behavior and cultural signifiers through visual satire. As a dedicated realist, she is inspired by vintage nature illustrations, but as a fan of color, her north star is risograph printing. Halsey lives in Takoma Park, Maryland with her wife, two dogs, three cats, and a collection of plants.