Mercy by Nancy Furstinger is a biography on the life of Henry Bergh, the unlikely founder of the ASPCA. Born into relative wealth in Manhattan, NY in 1813, Henry grew up with principles but no direction in life. Unable to find his true calling, he married; and upon a trip abroad, realized his calling to protect helpless animals which had no rights, after witnessing a bull fight in Spain when he was over the age of 50. Never owning a pet of his own, Bergh built the ASPCA upon the example of the RSPCA in Great Britain and even expanded his organization to include what became Child Protective Services! Beautiful colored illustrations combined with actual photos of the time and pages of informational sidebars to further support the text, hold the attention of the reader and keep them cheering for both Henry and the many animals that he helped.
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