Everyone knows that dogs are man and woman's best friend. Dogs come in all sizes from the teeny-weeny puppy to the large canine. Dogs entertain us in many ways by chasing balls, wagging their tails and doing tricks for treats. Many children own pets, such as dogs, and will be able to make many connections to the dog books discussed in this column from the International Reading Association Children's Literature and Reading Special Interest Group. 

GRADES PRE-K TO 2

Katz, Jon. (2011). Meet the dogs of Bedlam farm. New York: Henry Holt and Company. 
From the bestselling author of A dog year, Katz writes his first picture book introducing his four dogs—Rose, Izzy, Frieda, and Lenore. Each dog is highlighted describing how they came to the farm, what their job is on the farm and how they get along with the other dogs. A question that is repeated throughout the text is, “What is Lenore’s job?” (unpaginated). This causes the reader to infer and make predictions. Beautiful full-page photographs portray each dog in the changing seasons. The last section of the book discusses Lenore, a black Labrador retriever, who rolls in the mud and eats disgusting things. Eventually the reader learns Lenore’s job on the farm. The last photograph shows all four dogs together in the cozy farmhouse after a long day of work. They are a happy dog family. 
- Deanna Day, Washington State University Vancouver

Raschka, Chris. (2011). A ball for daisy. New York: Random House.
Winner of the 2012 Caldecott medal, A ball for Daisy, does not have any words except for the title. The illustrations, rendered in ink, watercolor and gouache, tell the story of Daisy and her red ball. Daisy taps the ball in the air with her paws. She bounces it with the tip of her nose and chases it to a teal and green couch. After all of that playing, she snuggles up to the red sphere and snoozes. Later, Daisy’s owner takes her on a walk to the park where she joyfully runs, chases and catches the red ball in four separate illustrations. Then, a brown dog arrives, snatching the ball and accidently popping it. Daisy lies down on her flattened ball and howls. She sulks all the way back home. The next day, Daisy and owner return to the park and find that the brown dog has a present for her—a blue ball! The closing illustration shows Daisy next to the blue ball on the couch. 

- Deanna Day, Washington State University Vancouver

Rosen, Michael, J. (2011). The hound dog’s haiku: And other poems for dog lovers. Illus. by Mary Azarian. Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press.
Twenty different dog breeds are represented in haiku poetry in this delightful picture book. Breeds such as the Bluetick coonhound, the Weimaraner and the Siberian husky are showcased. For example, the poem for the English springer spaniel: “Wagging bobtailed dog / anything you touch joins in / joy is not phantom” (unpaginated). The accompanying woodcut illustration shows a liver and white spaniel flying through the air fetching a red Frisbee. In addition, notes about each dog are included in the back. Teachers could read aloud these canine poems and invite students to write haiku poems about their own pets. 
- Deanna Day, Washington State University Vancouver

Singer, Marilyn. (2011). What is your dog doing? Illus. by Kathleen Habbley. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers. 
The first page says, “Dog dreaming / Dog scheming” (unpaginated). Young children will notice a bright yellow kitchen with a small brown dog dreaming about eating a cupcake. Next, a black and white puppy is yanking a tablecloth with a tray of frosted cupcakes falling. The book continues with the familiar noun and adverb pattern: “Dog inspecting / Dog protecting” (unpaginated) and “Dog sharing / Dog daring” (unpaginated). Some pages have longer sentences that all rhyme. Readers will notice dogs in different activities such as paddling, dancing, shedding, sledding and herding. The colorful illustrations are bold and attractive. The small rectangle book shape is perfect for little hands and repeated rereadings.
- Deanna Day, Washington State University Vancouver

Nobisso, Josephine. (2011). Francis woke up early. Illus. by Maureen Hyde. New York: Gingerbread House. 
The young boy who will become known as Saint Francis of Assisi awakens one morning and relishes the peacefulness of a day in this beautiful picture book. He goes about his chores carefully, caring for the animals in the barnyard and collecting eggs and milk for breakfast. When he encounters a hungry she-wolf who has been looking for food on the town’s outskirts, he befriends her and shares his breakfast with her. She, in turn, does not harm him, somehow sensing his innate kind-heartedness and grateful for the meal. Having begun his morning with gentleness, Francis is ready to eat his own breakfast. The simple story reminds readers that all living creatures have basic needs, and the sumptuously painted illustrations pulse with life in every frame. 
- Barbara A. Ward, Washington State University Pullman

GRADES 3 TO 7 

Corriveau, Art. (2010). How I, Nicky Flynn, finally get a life (and a dog). New York: Amulet Books/Abrams. 
After the separation of his parents, eleven-year-old Nicky and his mother live in a tiny Boston apartment in a part of town that has seen better days. He faces school bullies in his new school and is confused about his father’s reluctance to spend time with him during weekends. One night, his mother arrives home from work with Reggie, a huge dog that once was a seeing-eye dog and ended up at the dog pound for reasons that aren’t clear. Already angry with his mother about the breakup of the family and their reduced circumstances, Nicky resents Reggie. Eventually, though, they bond during their walks. When Reggie stubbornly tries to pull him in certain directions, Nicky finally lets him, and the dog leads him to his former haunts where Nicky meets some new folks who are able to shed light on the dog’s past. Miserable about much of his life, Nicky and the dog run away, retracing the Freedom Trail, which Nicky remembers with fondness from earlier times with his father. Readers will enjoy Nicky’s growing bond with his pet and appreciate the honesty with which the story is told. Although his actions, words, and thoughts—especially concerning his father—often are in conflict, it becomes clear that Nicky can rely on Reggie and his mother even when his misjudgment puts his dog at risk and when he incorrectly blames his mother for circumstances beyond her control. While Nicky grows up a great deal throughout the story, what makes this title particularly poignant is his own inability to see his father as he actually is.
- Barbara A. Ward, Washington State University Pullman

Franco, Betsy. (2011). A dazzling display of dogs. Illus. by Michael Wertz. New York: Tricycle Press/Random House. 
From the same team that created A Curious Collection of Cats: Concrete Poems (2009), their poetic and artistic celebration of all things feline, comes this collection of 34 poems celebrating the delights of canines. Dog lovers will smile in recognition of dogs at their best and worst, sharing their living space with humans and generally make life much more pleasurable. The poems are shaped so that they resemble the experience they are describing; for instance, “Circling Poem 1 & 2” shows a dog endlessly searching and searching, circling for just the right spot in which to nap. “Emmett’s Ode to his Tennis Ball” places the poem inside a yellow circle clamped in the dog’s mouth and states firmly his affection for the “slobbery, sloppy, slimy sphere” (unpaginated). Young readers will chortle as they recall the noxious odor produced by a dog that farts in a car. They’ll also relate to the indecision of dogs who can’t make up their minds about being inside or outside as described in “Letting Gwen In and Out.” Drenched with detail and large fonts, the digitally colored illustrations are almost overwhelming with their intensity in an often-amusing, always affectionate tribute to dogs from two dog-lovers.
- Barbara A. Ward, Washington State University Pullman

Korman, Gordon. (2012). Showoff. New York: Scholastic Press. 
Griffin, the man with the plan, is back in the fourth installment of Korman’s  “Swindle” series. Griffin’s friend Savannah and her pet Doberman, Luthor, head the cast of characters as they romp into the dog show realm. Electra, three-time winning championship beagle is injured when Luthor unexpectedly crashes the dog show stage resulting in a tail injury for Electra. The owners are outraged and immediately cry lawsuit! Savannah is forced to send Luthor to an animal shelter, but Griffin intervenes with his latest plan. Since his parents are in Europe, Griffin and sidekick Ben bring the Doberman to Griffin’s home and decide to train Luthor for the next dog show championship, win the grand prize and put the money toward the lawsuit. The hilarious antics that ensue as they become dog trainers and outwit a mysterious person who is trying to sabotage the plan as well as the entire dog show makes for an adventure with lots of laughs. 
- Karen Hildebrand, Ohio Library and Reading Consultant

Laidlaw, Rob. (2012). No Shelter Here: Making the world a kinder place for dogs. Ontario: Pajama Press. 
The author, Rob Laidlaw, is a professional dog advocate and asks readers to become Dog Champions as he describes the living conditions of free range, homeless dogs around the world. Using photographs and side bar illustrations he discusses the treatment of dogs by pet owners, both good and bad. In addition to the horrendous conditions of puppy mills and working dogs, he explains about organizations that advocate for spaying and neutering and uses very direct language to describe some of the homeless conditions where street dogs are barely surviving today. He includes a list of animal welfare websites where readers can learn more about being proactive about humanitarian dog care.
- Karen Hildebrand, Ohio Library and Reading Consultant

MacLachlan, Patricia. (2012). Kindred Souls. New York: Katherine Tegen Books/HarperCollins
Ten-year-old Jake has discovered a kindred soul in his aging grandfather. As they walk the farm that has been in the family for generations, grandfather reminisces about growing up in the sod house, the remains of which are still visible. Childhood memories are shared and Jake loves the time spent with his grandfather. When a stray dog wanders onto the farm, life shifts and grandfather becomes ill and is hospitalized. Jake gets it in his head that if the family rebuilds the soddy for grandfather to come home to that all will be well. MacLachlan’s foreshadowing actually sets the tone for grandfather to return home to die, which he does in the newly rebuilt sod home of his childhood. Neighbors notice the dog has disappeared and folks say the dog is living with a woman who is sick in a nearby town. With sparce text and poetic prose, the cycle of life is warmly brought to the page for young readers who share that special relationship with a grandparent and yet face the inevitable passing of a kindred soul.
- Karen Hildebrand, Ohio Library and Reading Consultant

Margolis, Leslie. (2012). Vanishing Acts. New York: Bloomsbury. 
Maggie Brooklyn Sinclair, dog-walker and amateur sleuth, is back in another “Maggie Brooklyn Mystery.”  Several confusing things occur in seventh-grader Maggie’s life, especially the disconcerting egging of dogs at the dog run. Who would do such a thing? Meanwhile, a movie company has come to Park Slope to shoot the latest Seth Ryan, teen heartthrob, film.  Maggie and her friends are hoping to be cast as extras in the movie but Maggie is tossed off the set on the very first day. When Seth disappears and rumors of a kidnapping spread, Maggie’s detective skills kick into action. Throw in a little middle school romance with Maggie’s friend Lucy with Maggie’s very own twin brother and the questions really start flowing. Dogs, friends, mystery and mayhem make this a middle school read that girls who enjoy the Sammy Keyes mysteries, or Judy Moody and Allie Finkle will welcome.
- Karen Hildebrand, Ohio Library and Reading Consultant

Selfors, Suzanne. (2011). Smells like treasure. New York: Little, Brown. 
Many readers have come to dread the appearance of a dog in a book since its appearance practically insures that some ill fate lies ahead. Reassuringly, the author includes a note at the front of the book guaranteeing that there will be no dead dogs in this or any other titles she writes. In the continuation of the earlier Smells like Dog (2010), twelve-year-old farm boy Homer Pudding receives a mysterious note containing the letters L.O.S. T., making him certain that the time has come to join the society of Legends, Objects, Secrets, and Treasures. Relying on his basset hound Dog’s ability to smell treasure, Homer embarks on a quest to use the clues he’s been given to find the treasure before anyone else. His membership in the society depends on it, but along the way, he realizes that someone else is just as intent on finding the treasure as he and Dog are. As the two friends leave Milkydale for adventure amid hidden islands and mansions and dangers to both boy and beast, the story moves forward in a clever, engaging fashion, filled with amusing moments and plenty of mishaps. Like a dog begging for a treat, fans of this series will clamor for more books about this pair.
- Barbara A. Ward, Washington State University Pullman