Perceptive and engaging—essential reading for anyone seeking greater understanding of their four-legged best friends.
How dogs think, feel, and make sense of their world.
Introducing himself as a biologist who specializes in pet research, Bradshaw offers a dog’s-eye—or, far more precisely, dog’s-nose—view of human behavior by following fictive terrier Rusty Barker, a former shelter dog, through a cozy set of daily routines with a loving and sensitive family. As monochrome scenes and vignettes appear on nearly every page, Bradshaw explains how a dog’s more than 800 supercharged olfactory detectors work together, trumping sight to help this lively pooch track and identify beloved humans, potential food, and other creatures both around the house and in the outside world. The author also focuses on how dogs communicate with both humans and other dogs, how they interpret body language and other cues, and how their memory differs in several respects from human memory. His overall message—even if most dogs are eager to please (and no matter how intelligent they are), they don’t really think like us—comes through clearly and makes a solid foundation for a healthy relationship between pets and their two-legged companions. Bradshaw has a gift for making complex science accessible and absorbing, and his narrative is peppered with humor. Elsom expands her winningly expressive canine cast to include multiple breeds; Rusty’s human family is light-skinned, though some dark-skinned dog owners are included, too.
Perceptive and engaging—essential reading for anyone seeking greater understanding of their four-legged best friends. (interview with the author) (Nonfiction. 7-9)Pub Date: June 13, 2023
ISBN: 9780593521830
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Penguin Workshop
Review Posted Online: March 28, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
An affectionate picture of bears and bear scientists, capped with a page of moon bear facts and an afterword.
Not one but three roly-poly moon bear cubs star in this true animal rescue tale.
Orphaned by poachers, Yasha, joined later by Shum and Shiksha, are nurtured by Pokrovskaya and another scientist for nearly two years on a game preserve until they were ready to be released into the Siberian wild. Taking a slightly anthropomorphized bear’s-eye point of view (“Yasha was happy with his new home”), Kvatum chronicles the cubs’ development as they learn to forage on their own while playing together and learning to climb trees. She also notes how important it is for human observers to remain aloof—minimizing physical contact and even wearing scent-concealing clothing—to prevent the animals from becoming dependent or domesticated. Looking positively fetching in the big, color photos, shaggy Yasha and his ursine cohorts grow visibly as they ramble through woodsy settings, splash in a river and survive an encounter with a prowling tiger before being deemed ready to live on their own.
An affectionate picture of bears and bear scientists, capped with a page of moon bear facts and an afterword. (map, bibliography) (Informational picture book. 7-9)Pub Date: July 10, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-4263-1051-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: National Geographic
Review Posted Online: May 15, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2012
An altogether trite, values-driven star vehicle—worthy of purpose but aside from occasional game action, as dull as a rain...
Fourth-grader “Derek” works his way through a batting slump, pulls an outsider into his circle of friends, and atones for being a bully in this semiautobiographical sequel co-authored by the recently retired Yankees captain.
The actual story is preceded by a good-behavior “contract” between the future star and his invariably strict-but-fair parents, a list of 10 “Life Lessons,” plus an introductory note explaining that this episode—the second in a planned 10—will be based on the theme “Think Before You Act.” It is entirely a vehicle for platitudes and behavior modeling. Notwithstanding the gibes of his friends, Derek holds out a welcoming hand to Dave, a seemingly standoffish new class- and teammate who turns out to be a lonely rich kid with absentee parents. Meanwhile, Derek’s delight at the opening of Little League season turns to determination as he goes hitless through the first three games. Then he angrily gets into the face of a kindergartener who is bullying his little sister, Sharlee, and is called into the principal’s office with his parents for a disciplinary conference. Wheeling along past billboard-sized doses of both life and baseball coaching, plus repeated reminders to “stay positive,” every plotline ultimately coasts to a salutary resolution: Dave earns general acceptance through improved play on the field; Derek shows sincere remorse for his misdeed and formally apologizes to his victim (who later befriends Sharlee); and the base hits finally start coming as Derek leads his team to the championship game.
An altogether trite, values-driven star vehicle—worthy of purpose but aside from occasional game action, as dull as a rain delay. (Fiction. 7-9)Pub Date: April 28, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-4814-2315-1
Page Count: 160
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: April 14, 2015
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