Sunday, February 22, 2009

The True or False Book About Dogs


The True-or-False Book of Dogs
by Patricia Lauber

Illustrations by Rosalyn Schanzer


Ages:6-8



This wonderful book written by Patricia Lauber illustrated by Rosalyn Schanzer is as the title suggests, all about dogs. The format is what makes it so interesting. The facts are presented in response to the question- true or false. Kids get to learn about the variety in the canine species and their distinguishing characteristics. The language is simple enough for 6-8 year olds to read independently or with just a little help. There are facts from history of man's relationship with their best friend and how that has evolved over time. Among other things, I learned about the turnspit.

My daughter, J has read this book a few times over and I asked her what makes this book so special to her. She liked learning why the dog has always had an important place in human lives and the ways in which that has changed over time. She found out about how they have senses that humans do not have. She did not like the idea of the turnspit at all because it was not fair on the dogs to have to excercise so much and not be rewarded for their effort. Then she found out about many kinds of dogs that she had never known about.

J says this is a book for anyone who wants to learn about animals though dog-lovers would feel sad reading about the turnspit. Finally if a kid is looking for a pet dog this book can help them pick out the right dog. After they have read this book they would know what choices they have and which kind of dog has the nature they would love best.

Cover Image for the book from Barnes and Noble online.

1 comment:

Vikas Gupta said...

I have not read the book but want to submit some of my observations, just the same.

We Indians really need to pay heed to such books our behaviour vis-a-vis dogs needs improvement ( here I mean stray dogs).

Only recently, the senior warden of my hostel wrote angry letters to every authority in my university (JNU, New Delhi) when a dog bit her son suggesting these dogs be shown the door and institutes nearby such as the IIT, Delhi be stopped from dumping dogs in our campus among other things. While there is no gainsaying the fact the stray dogs in India are a nuisance in some ways, her behaviour was slightly overboard.

Also, in India if a dog didn't bit you in your childhood, I would say you did not had all the experiences that childhood has in store for kids! :)

If her son -like the adorable J here- had read the book, he probably would not have met that fate in the first place (thanks to his understanding of the animal) or not allowed her mother to make a hullabaloo subsequent to the event!

A JNU student (from the North East part of India) had hacked a dog for meat in his hostel room! :( He escaped with a mild punishment)! Dogs are hotly debated in JNU campus and the jury is still out on this. There are die-hard dog lovers, the indifferent and the opponents of course.

It is a fact that many East Asian nations kill dogs for dog meat and pet owners guard their dogs more than their property! A Google search on dog meat (web and images) throws up results that could disturb any individual!

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