There are many good reasons not to get a dog. Sensible and rational people willingly present them in excruciating detail. But finally, you resist no more and make the decision. This is rarely a spontaneous action in our western urban societies, but rather the end of a cumbersome study of dog books, pet shops, internet pages and parks, where everybody seems so pleased with the joyous Daxhounds, their agile Jack Russels, and their devoted Collies. We know of many who have emerged through that process, turning every stone in the examination. The toughest resistance usually fails when, after an unsuccessful deviation, the family has bought a turtle, an Egyptian rat or a long eared rabbit. When these animals have escaped from their cage into the bathroom ventilator, never to return or fallen prey to a fox, when left alone in the wild, you realise that it?s time for a real pet, a beast that needs a strangler and a leather lead. This is when the Dog appears as the ideal compromise between a horse and a hamster. The Dog fulfils endless needs and functions. It keeps the loner company, instils courage in the fearful, finds trails for the hunter, creates chaos for the pedant, forges friendship with the mob victim, adds frivolity to the serious, esteem to the despised, beauty to the plain, direction to the one-eyed, occupation to the unemployed, youth to the ageing, vigour to the gouty, status to the poor, power to the oppressed. The Dog?s main function is nevertheless that it reconnects me with nature, at the moment I believed I had lost the feeling for the original. It links me with my Atavus. The Dog is the last cry from the wild and in the following essays, I hope you will follow me on that journey.

After a plane crash, thirteen-year-old Brian spends fifty-four days in the Canadian wilderness, learning to survive with only the aid of a hatchet given him by his mother, and learning also to survive his parents' divorce.

As a rich, spoiled, emotionally disturbed woman Lisa Scott, couldnt cope with the responsibilities of being a mother nor the problems that come with raising a child. Dujuna Jeans mother had been pampered by her rich-influential parents. Nothing was ever too good for their daughter, especially from her father. Shortly after graduation, she and her high school sweetheart married. But neither had any idea what married life was suppose to be. Within the first few months Lisa became pregnant but had a miscarriage, which Larry blamed her for. That didnt stop her from getting pregnant again and this time she carried the baby full term. A little girl that they named Dujuna Jean. Within a year after Dujuna was born, Larry abandoned them, leaving the child to receive the brunt of her mothers frustrations. Dujuna did a lot of crying. So, so many heard her crying but none cared. Not the middle-aged couple who lived next door who heard the poignant sobs in the night, nor the medical establishment that ignored her injuries, nor her wealthy grandparents who were afraid of shame and scandal, nor the divorced father who was absorbed in his own singles fun. Because of the parents wealth every incident was covered up. Only Dr. Ashley Fields suspects when she sees Dujuna Jeans injuries that they were not accidental. But she couldnt prove it for sure, because Dujuna Jean and her beautiful tormented mother werent telling.

Peter Dunstan is a big rancher who wants to become bigger, to control more land. So when he buys Dr. Henry Morgan's ranchland that has been unsuccessfully converted to farming, it is his intention to return it to open range. The only stipulation the doctor makes is that Dunstan must retain Sandy Sweyn, who has more or less been Dr. Morgan's ward. Though the man is of age, he is generally considered a half-wit, even by the doctor. Still, Sandy has a fabulous gift: he can communicate with animals. The most refractory and savage bronco will yield to his subtly persuasive methods even when expert horse breakers have failed. After Sandy gentles the totally recalcitrant gelding that Dunstan has been trying to break to the reins, he claims that his mare, Cleo, though used only for drudgery, could easily outrun the gelding in a race. Dunstan is so contemptuous of this boast that he bets $5,000 and ownership of the gelding if he loses the race. As it turns out, Cleo readily wins. Rather than indulging his anger, Dunstan decides to use Sandy's gifts to his advantage by getting him seemingly impossible tasks. The problem is that after each of these incredible tasks is accomplished, some personal misfortune befalls Dunstan. Finally Dunstan drives Sandy into the mountain wilderness, where his prowess eventually becomes legendary. But banishment is no solution for Dunstan when he comes to need Sandy more than ever, and his only way of getting him back is to resort to trickery.

Trixie and her family are off on a fantastic trip to visit her grandparents—all the way in Holland! But does Knuffle Bunny have different travel plans? An emotional tour de force, Knuffle Bunny Free concludes one of the most beloved picture-book series in recent memory, with pitchperfect text and art, photos from around the world, and a stunning foldout spread, culminating in a hilarious and moving surprise that no child or parent will be able to resist. Bestselling, award-winning author Mo Willems has created an epic love story as only he can, filled with the joys and sadness of growing up —and the unconditional love that binds a father, mother, daughter, and a stuffed bunny.