The book itself doesn't talk, but with it, you are able to create a creature/animal/monster out of magic. It can have as much sentience as you desire it to have, be it a free spirit or a loyal soldier. It can talk if you want it to, and it can do most anything you want it to. By combining the pages of the animal and the element, it is summoned before you. It can also be dispelled, becoming a bookmark for you to call upon again later.