Pushinka takes gold A California Reading Association Eureka Nonfiction Gold Award, that is.

"You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed." -- The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exup ry

In the harsh, frozen Siberian landscape, a scientist and a fox began a most unusual friendship--one that changed our understanding of human-animal relationships forever. In 1959, the world-renowned Siberian silver fox domestication experiment began, exploring the boundaries of relationships between humans and animals. Fifteen years into the experiment, lead researcher Dr. Lyudmila Trut met Pushinka, a beautiful silver fox pup who would become her near constant companion. So taken was she by Pushinka, Lyudmila decided to take the experiment a step further by moving into a small house with Pushinka, allowing for closer observation and more constant interaction between scientist and fox.

As the seasons changed, so too did Pushinka, and she began to act more like a dog. Wild foxes do not play fetch, or wag their tails, or bark in defense of their friends, but Pushinka did. Soon, the two grew to know and love one another through trials in motherhood, relationship tests, and endless of games of fetch.

Love, you see, changes us.

Lyudmila and Pushinka's true story is one that weaves together the scientific and the emotional, demonstrating that even in the coldest places on earth, there is warmth.