From the hilarious and subversive children's author, essayist and NPR commentator, true tales drawn from his cordial--if dysfunctional--relationships with the dogs in his life. illustrations.

There have been books about dogs since books began -- manuals on training and raising them, stories featuring dogs, and memoirs seen through the eyes of dogs. Lately, there has been a rash of books that purport to tell us what dogs are thinking, such as the bestselling What Dogs Are Thinking. This is a book about a Jewish boy and his sled dogs -- also a couple of wolves, a parrot or two...and Pinkwater's uncle...and his father. Daniel Pinkwater, prodigious author of books for children, popular commentator on National Public Radio, and dog trainer to the stars, is unclear about what dogs are thinking. In fact, he appears to be completely baffled by them. He considers himself lucky that his dog does not foul the carpet, bite people, or run in traffic. Unlike every other dog book ever written, this one does not make the reader feel more stupid than the author.

An intimate group portrait of contemporary Hudson Valley writers.

Of the many themes occurring in young adult literature, one that bears more extensive exploration is the adolescent-animal connection. Although substantial critical commentary has addressed children's animal stories and animals in adult fiction, very few studies have been devoted to adolescent-animal encounters. In Animals in Young Adult Fiction, Walter Hogan examines several hundred novels and stories to explore the ways in which animals are represented in these works. In additional to providing an historical survey, Hogan looks at both realistic fiction and speculative works, including fantasy, supernatural, horror, and science fiction. Hogan reviews stories that feature wild animal encounters, stories centered on relationships with horses, dogs, and other working and performing animals, and those featuring relationships with pets. Drawing upon established scholarship, this book examines human-animal relationships from multiple angles, making it an invaluable resource for librarians, teachers, and students of children's and young adult literature.