Fiction relating to dogs

W. Bruce Cameron
Forge; 1 edition (4 Aug 2010)
ISBN-10: 0765326264
ISBN-13: 978-0765326263

This book is a novel which is told from the point of view of not one dog, but several, for each time the narrator dies, he is reborn as a new puppy. It is a novel that works on many levels, there are gripping adventures, and there is laughter and tears. As we journey through the book we come to ask the same question as the narrator, what is the meaning of a dog's life? There are heart-warming messages about friendship and love, and their importance both to dogs and humans. This is also a book which can open our eyes to what the way that dogs understand the world. Older children and adults will find this book enjoyable.

Carol Lea Benjamin
Avon Books; Reprint edition (31 July 2007)
ISBN-10: 0060539046
ISBN-13: 978-0060539047

Carol Lea Benjamin is a dog trainer and author, who writes mystery stories as well as dog books. The heroine is Rachel Alexander, a private investigator, who has a well-trained pit bull called Dashiell. In this novel, Rachel has to work undercover with homeless people in New York, and Dasheill is with her as companion and helper.

This is Carol Lea Benjamin's ninth book featuring Rachel as heroine, and, like previous novels featuring Rachel, the book is well-crafted, and is an enjoyable, relaxing read. There is no attempt to shock readers with accounts of unpleasant ways to die, we just have the painstaking building up of evidence by the heroine, until the identity of the murderer becomes clear. There are asides on how different life is in New York if you are homeless, but this is not a tract for social reform, simply a good read for people who notice the world around them. It is also a plus for the heroine to have a canine sidekick if you like dogs!

Michael Morpurgo
HarperCollins Children's Books (2 Jun 2008)
ISBN-10: 0007230591
ISBN-13: 978-0007230594

Born to Run tells the story of a greyhound racing champion as he passes from one owner to another. The story begins with a boy finding a litter of greyhounds which have been tied in a bag and left to drown. He saves the litter, and, after a struggle with his parents, is allowed to keep one of the pups. All is going well, and then the greyhound is stolen, and enters a new life as a champion racer. He finds friendship with another child in his new life, but his safety depends on his being able to win races.

This is a story for older children, say ten years and up, and adults. Michael Morpurgo's books work for adults, because they are so beautifully written. Be warned though, this book is very sad in places, and though it is a book that many children will enjoy reading, some may become very sad at the injustice in the world.

Michael Morpurgo
HarperCollins Children'sBooks (29 Sep 2011)
ISBN-10: 0007339615
ISBN-13: 978-0007339617

Shadow is the tale of a Springer Spaniel, and is set in Afganistan Shadow's companion is a boy called Aman and his family. Like all Michael Morpurgo´s books, this story can make you feel both happy and sad. There is both kindness, and injustice and indifference in the world, as the story of Shadow makes clear. The book is very well written, both in terms of plot, and in terms of the language, and can be read on different levels, so it is suitable for both older children and adults. It is worth buying this for your children, then reading it yourself!

 

Donald McCaig
University of Virginia Press; 1st edition (15 Feb 2007)
ISBN-10: 0813926173
ISBN-13: 978-0813926179

A Useful Dog is a short, beautifully presented book by Donald McCaig who lives on a sheep farm in Virginia, helped by border collies and sheep guarding dogs. He also trials collies and writes poetry, novels and essays. The book starts with a poem, then moves on to lambing, setting the scene for an account of sheepdog trials with Gael, a bitch who first appears in 'Eminent Dogs, Dangerous Men'. The stories continue with new characters, like a demining dog in Albania. Then we go back to when it all started, the evolution of dogs, and a fast forward to the first dog shows, the unintended consequences of breeding for appearance, and what is being done to offset them. At the same time as dog shows took off, Battersea Dogs Home was born. Today it is a success story. Then we are back in Virginia with more sheepdog stories, which end with a tale of Christmas Eve, orphan lambs sheltering by the wood-burning stove, a half moon and a silent night outside.

The tales are crafted with care, and work on many levels. This is a book to be cherished. It would make a very special present for anyone who wants to understand how it is that dogs and humans have come to mean so much to one another.

Donald McCaig
Publisher: Lyons Press (July 2007)
ISBN-10: 159921136X
ISBN-13: 978-1599211367

This is the first of the Nop books, so it's the one to start with if you are choosing between Nop's Hope and Nop's Trials. Donald McCaig both knows a lot about the world of working border collies, and can tell a good story. It's worth reading for the story alone, and if you like collies, that's a plus. It is the story of a border collie, and his trials in life, as well as sheepdog trials. There are insights into how dogs see the world, as well as how dogs and humans understand, or fail to understand one another.

Donald McCaig
Lyons Press (July 2007)
ISBN-10: 1599211351
ISBN-13: 978-1599211350

Donald McCaig has a great deal of experience of border collies, one of his passions. This story deals with bereavement and communication between human and dog. It works on a number of levels, both for people interested in dogs, and people interested in people. It also gives great first-hand understanding of the world of sheepdog trials McCaig is a very gifted writer who can leave you feeling happier and wiser after you have read one of his books.

Mark Wallington Arrow (6 July 2006)
ISBN-10: 0099503123
ISBN-13: 978-0099503125

Mark Wallington lived in London, England, when he decided to go on a trek round the south west of England, taking a friend's dog, Boogie, with him. The result was 'Five Hundred Mile Walkies', one of the two books in this edition, the other being 'Boogie Up the River'. Anyone who likes Bill Bryson and dogs is likely to enjoy this book, which is very funny. It's also useful for anyone thinking of undertaking similar adventures - Mark Wallington gives a hilarious account of the privations of his first nights, when he hadn't quite come to grips with camping skills. Some chapters are best read in the comfort of a centrally heated home.

Boogie obviously has his companion well-trained, he is fed first, and gets to fart in the tent at night. Gwen Bailey would not approve! By the time we get to the second book, Boogie is owned by the author, who is unable to find a friend or kennel to look after him while he travels up the Thames, such is the dog's reputation. So Boogie embarks on another adventure. Both adults and children will enjoy Boogie's adventures.

Farley Mowat
Bantam
ISBN 0553 279 289

A classic tale of growing up on the Canadian prairies with dog (Mutt) in the 1930s. This autobiography is very funny. The author's parents are affectionately portrayed, both his librarian father, who built a caravan to travel to the prairies, and his long-suffering mother. Older children will enjoy this book, though the vocabulary will stretch them. A good story to read to children, with one adventure a night. It's also a book that adults will enjoy on a different level, not just for the adventures, also for the way that Mowat portrays Canada in the 1930s. This is a 'feel good' book, that makes you feel good about people as well as dogs, and makes you laugh out loud.

Jack London
Dover Publications Inc.; Unabridged edition (1 Feb 2000)
ISBN-10: 048626968X
ISBN-13: 978-0486269689

Jack London travelled to the Arctic regions of North America at the end of the 19th century, as a young man, and his writing career was based on his adventures and the tales he heard there. 'White Fang' is the story of an Arctic wolf-dog, with a wolf for a father, and a wolf-dog hybrid for a mother. White Fang grew up with a Native American tribe, and then fell into the hands of a brutal white owner. He was rescued, and treated with kindness by his new owner, whom he grew to love.

Children will enjoy this book. There may be tears as White Fang passes through his trials and tribulations, but it ends happily. The story can also gives a glimpse into the past. We are taken back to the 1890s, and see life in the Arctic as it was then, through London's eyes.

The story of White Fang is a good yarn, with a satisfyingly happy ending, but it should come with a health warning 'don't try this at home'! Keeping wolf hybrids has become fashionable, and 'White Fang' is one of the romantic stories which has encouraged this trend. Many dogs that are part-wolf are very difficult to train, becoming unmanageable when they reach maturity. Dogs have been bred for temperament, as well as looks, over thousands of years, so are much less likely to bite and more likely to obey than the average wolf. 'White Fang' is not an instruction manual for training a wolf-hybrid, but it is a classic story, which has been enjoyed by many generations.

Susan Conant
Berkley
ISBN 0425146227

Susan Conant
Bantam Books
ISBN 0553576550

Susan Conant has written a number of very funny whodunnits for dog lovers, which also provide insights that make dog owners nod with recognition. They feature a strong woman character, as well as two malamutes called Kimi and Rowdy. She deals with a range of topics that interest dog owners, such as how dogs communicate, and the usage of pet therapy, while at the same time keeping you on tenterhooks as to what will happen next in the murder mystery. 'A New Leash on Death' is the first in the Holly Winter series, and 'The Barker Street Regulars' is probably the best in this series.

Gary Paulsen
Library Binding
ISBN-10: 1439580847
ISBN-13: 978-1439580844

Gary Paulsen is a respected children's author, who has written this autobiographical account for adults. He travelled in a sled dog race across Alaska, with no experience and little preparation. His account of his experiences is both hair-raising and funny. This is a book for people who fear there are no adventures left in the world!

Wilson Rawls
Yearling
ISBN 0440412676

An American classic, an autobiographical account, written in the Depression, about a boy in the Ozarks, who saves up enough money to buy himself a pair of coonhounds. It's a gripping story, with a lot of adventures. Young readers should be warned that the dogs do die in the end, and they may need a box of tissues. But the dogs' death isn't the end of the story, as readers will find out. It's quite a long book, but enthralling enough to keep the attention of young readers from about nine-years-old upwards.

Fred Gipson
Harper Collins
ISBN 0064403823

This is another gripping tale from America, this time it's set in frontier Texas. A boy is left to manage a farm on his own, and he is adopted by a dog. Boy and dog make friends and help each other, and have a lot of adventures, until a man turns up, claiming to be the dog's former owner. I won't tell you what happens next, except to say that the book is both funny and sad, and is a book you will want to read again! Children from about nine-years-old upwards will enjoy reading this book.

Bill Wallace
Minstrel
ISBN 0671770810

A powerful story for older children to read on their own, say from nine-years-old upwards. This is the tale of a small boy who is very frightened of dogs after being bitten by a dog with rabies. He is adopted by a starving pup called Kitty, and at first wants nothing to do with him, but the boy gradually overcomes his fears and realises that the pup needs him. This is a fable with a strong message about the power of love. It is a very moving story, which will appeal even to young people who aren't very keen on reading.

Robert J. Blake Puffin Books;
Reprint edition (21 Oct 2004)
ISBN-10: 0142401854
ISBN-13: 978-0142401859

In the tradition of 'White Fang', a book of the Arctic dog, set in a harsh, unforgiving landscape, yet the tale is warm-hearted enough to become a favourite with children, both as a bed-time story, and as a book that they can read themselves. The story is beautifully illustrated, which will help to retain the interest of young readers, say, from four-years-old upwards, and parents will find this an interesting book to read to their children.

Suzan St Maur
Publisher: Kenilworth Press
ISBN: 1872119506

Jokes & anecdotes that'll make you laugh, cry & kick yourself, or just want to hug your dog! This fun little book will make an idea christmas stocking filler for dog lovers of all ages.