The American animal writer Ernest Seton-Thompson (1860–1946) was one of the first to make animals and birds the heroes of his works. Perhaps it was he who laid the foundation for a new, realistic trend in the literature about animals, because no one had ever depicted their behavior and habits so truthfully and reliably. His first book of short stories from the life of wild animals became so popular that it set the tone for the entire future work of the writer, who not only knew his characters well, but loved them, and most importantly, understood them.