Why Do Dogs Have Wet Noses? Stanley Coren. Toronto, ON: Kids Can Press, 2006. 64 pp., cloth, $14.95. ISBN 1-55337-657-9. Subject Heading: Dogs-Miscellanea-Juvenile literature. Grades 3-7 / Ages 8-12. Review by Diana Wilkes. **** /4

excerpt:

Why do dogs roll in garbage?

Rotten eggs, smelly garbage and poo—yum! These may be the best smells in the world-to a dog. Rolling in smelly stuff is an instinct dogs inherited from their wild hunter ancestors. A strong smell hides the dog's own smell, making it easier to sneak up on other animals. Hunters that don't smell like hunters catch more prey.

Have you ever wondered how long dogs and humans have been friends? Or which are the most popular breeds? Or how a dog hears? Or smells? Or how well he sees?

     Or maybe you've had questions like: why do dogs hate cats? Or do dogs really dream?

     These and many more doggy questions are answered in Stanley Coren's latest book. Great questions - the kind kids ask - are organized into four sections:

How Humans and Dogs Became Friends

How Dogs See the World

How Dogs Talk

How Dogs Think

     Throughout the book, these clear and direct questions are posed, and the answers which follow are well written and explained in an interesting and thoughtful way. As well as information about dogs in general, there are also helpful tips and advice about what to do if there is a problem with your dog, such as: how do you get your dog to stop barking?

     The book is attractively designed, and the size and arrangement of text and print present as a picture book bridging to a transition chapter book, thereby being so appealing to a young audience. The photographic illustrations that accompany the text are of a wide variety of dog breeds, and they portray dogs in different positions, activities and situations. You can't help but smile at some of them!

     Almost anything you'd want to know about dogs in general can be read about in this book. It would make an excellent gift for someone with a new dog or thinking of adopting one. With this book, they'll have all the answers!

Highly Recommended.

Diana Wilkes has taught grades K to 10 and is completing a Master of Arts degree in Children's Literature at the University of British Columbia.

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Published by The Manitoba Library Association ISSN 1201-9364

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