Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly
Here's a treat to make Paulsen fans sit up and beg for more: scenes of Paulsen's life viewed in terms of the dogs who graced them. Aficionados who have read Paulsen's other memoirs (Father Water, Mother Woods; Eastern Sun, Northern Moon) already know of the author's rough-and-tumble childhood as the son of alcoholics; readers of Winterdance already know of his devotion to the sled dogs who pulled him through the Iditarod. Although he returns to familiar territory here, his approach is new. Profiling such dogs as Dirk, who "had Airedale crossed with hound crossed with alligator" and who unfailingly protected him from hoodlums who routinely menaced him in his youth, he both reveals himself and pays vivid tribute to his canine companions. In deceptively casual prose, he writes of his own troubles matter-of- factly while wittily and affectionately enumerating his dogs' virtues. Not all the episodes are bleak, fortunately, and one of the most successful chapters describes the glee inspired by a particularly brilliant border collie. While most boy-and-dog accounts tend either toward the tearjerker or toward the consciously heartwarming, Paulsen's paean resonates with a robust appreciation of the species; his writing percolates with energetic love. Illustrations not seen by PW. Ages 10-up. (Feb.)
School Library Journal
Gr 4 UpPaulsen reveals bits and pieces of his own life story through his experiences with eight of his dogs. After a heartfelt dedication to Cookie, the sled dog who saved his life, the author introduces readers first to Snowball, the puppy he acquired when he was seven years old and living in the Philippines, and then follows chronologically with profiles of other canine companions. He concludes with tales about Josh, the border collie with whom he currently shares a home. Paulsen is a master storyteller with a dry wit. His description of his dog Fred, whom he claimed was actually "nuclear in his capacity for destruction," and his account of his Great Dane Caesar, who was so petrified of trick-or-treaters that he would hide in the bedroom closet every Halloween with a housecoat over his eyes, are sure to elicit smiles. Paulsen can also make readers sigh when he relates how Snowball saved him from being bitten by a poisonous snake and how Cookie pulled him out of the water when he fell through the ice while trapping beaver. The statement, "Josh...is a person. I do not think in my heart that he is a dog," gives youngsters a real sense of how the man looks at these animals. An attractive pen-and-ink sketch of the profiled animal opens each chapter. This well-written, readable reminiscence serves as a tribute to the dogs in one person's life, written by someone who considers them his best friends.Carol Kolb Phillips, The Library, East Brunswick, NJ
From the Publisher
* "Guaranteed to charm animal lovers and Paulsen's fans. . . . Something to please at every turn of the page. . . . This honest, unpretentious celebration of dogs further entrenches his reputation as an author who is as successful at writing nonfiction as he is at writing novels."
—Booklist, starred review
"Paulsen is a master storyteller with a dry wit. . . . Gives readers a real sense of how the man looks at these animals."
—School Library Journal
* "Here's a treat to make Paulsen fans sit up and beg for more.... His writing percolates with energetic love."
—Publishers Weekly, starred review
MAY 2011 - AudioFile
Gary Paulsen, author and narrator, begins with an emotional dedication to Cookie, the sled dog who saved his life. He then reviews his life in terms of the eight dogs he has loved. In describing each companion, he draws on powers of observation that are as strong as the dogs are diverse—from Snowball, the mutt he saved and loved at age 7, to Caesar, a Great Dane who is kinder to children than furniture. Paulsen’s stories range from laugh-out-loud funny to tearful. He is obviously affected by his material; one can hear him chuckling and occasionally choking up. Listeners, however, may less moved than he is, for his narration is lacking in dramatic skill. While Paulsen succeeds as a writer of stories with great read-aloud potential, he’s less notable as a narrator. S.W. © AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine
