A First Guide to Dogs: Understanding Your Very Best Friend

Perceptive and engaging—essential reading for anyone seeking greater understanding of their four-legged best friends.

Gr 2-4--This charming piece of expository literature from a dog expert and animal welfare scientist shares fascinating canine facts inside a sweet story of a fictional rescue dog named Rusty. Adopted by a light-skinned family of four, Rusty experiences a loving home life for the first time, enjoying walks to the park, a cozy bed, and affectionate care and playtime with his owners. Along the way, Bradshaw explains how dogs experience the world through their senses, primarily the sense of smell. Readers will be fascinated to learn how the inner workings of a dog's snout function, their millions of turbinates allowing them to detect smells that are days old and even determine the direction the animal they're sniffing out was traveling! Bradshaw also explains how dogs use their body language to communicate and how little of our language they understand, especially how our angry tones can be confusing for them. With sweet cartoon illustrations throughout, this sweet book helps narrative readers understand exactly how to build a strong relationship with their fluffy friend. VERDICT A paws-itively perfect pick for all early elementary collections.--Abby Bussen