Dogs

by Gail Gibbons

An introduction to dogs including their history, types of breeds, senses, and ways of communication

Genres: Nonfiction, Dogs, Animals, Picture Books, Science, Childrens

32 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1996

About the author

From gailgibbons.com: I was born in Oak Park, Illinois, in 1944. Even as a little child, I was always busy putting books together. Sometimes I would bind them with yarn to hold the pages together. I've always loved drawing and painting. I was also a very curious child. My parents tell me that I was always asking lots and lots of questions.

Later, I went on to the University of Illinois, where I studied graphic design. Then I moved to New York City, where I got a job doing artwork for television shows. Eventually I was asked to do the artwork for a children's show. While doing that show, some of the children asked me if I had ever thought of doing children's books. My mind immediately recalled how much I enjoyed doing that type of thing when I was a child. So I put an idea for a book together and right away a publisher bought it. That book was called Willy and His Wheel Wagon. Since then, over 170 books that I have written and illustrated have been published. The type of books I write are non-fiction books. This is because I love researching so much. I get to ask lots of questions, just like when I was a kid. I also get to travel and meet lots of interesting people. While doing research for my book Nature's Green Umbrella: Tropical Rain Forests, I traveled to two islands where there are tropical rain forests, Saba and Dominica. I also had a great time writing and illustrating the book. I get a lot of pleasure from doing the type of work I do.

Reviews

[Ashlie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book shares the history of dogs and how the dogs we know and have today as pets have ancestors were wolves. The book starts to tell how over time, dogs evolved into different breeds and how some of the breeds were mixed together to form new breeds. Gibbons shares that although there are many types of dogs they all share the same basic things. The book then goes into different things that dogs do and their different abilities. At the end of the book there is a how to guide on how to take care of a puppy or dog.

This is a cool story to learn about a brief history of dogs. We see dogs today as completely different from wolves or wild animals, but thousands of years ago dogs were not domesticated, they were wild. This book did a great job at introducing that. This book also did a great job at explaining different characteristics of dogs that help them stay healthy.

Some books that could be paired with this one would be Cats by Gail Gibbons, Good Boy Fergus by David Shannon, The perfect pet by Margie Palatini and so on.

Quote: “About 15,000 years ago tamed dogs began to live with people and became their pets.”

[Rena Sherwood · Rating 3 out of 5]

Extremely well illustrated little book for (primarily) American kids about dogs. Gibbons doesn't talk down to kids, and assumes they can handle words like "characteristics." I particularly liked the different kinds of mongrels she portrayed -- including one that looked a good bit like my late lamented British mongrel, Pony.

There are more intensive pages describing some famous dogs, a collection of random dog facts, and the care of a new dog or puppy. This doesn't go into the more negative aspects of dog ownership, like getting licenses, picking up poop, and training.

The print is on the small side, which might be a little off-putting. Also, almost all of the people pictured are white (and three a kind of grayish tan).

[Alana · Rating 4 out of 5]

My toddler is obsessed with dogs, so he listened with rapt attention, even though much of it was probably over his head. It gives a lot of history of dogs. I didn't love the illustrations as much, as honestly some of the depicted breeds didn't match that well, but not a huge deal. I struggle a bit with the term "mongrel" used for mixed-breed dogs; we always used the term "mutt" and"mongrel" somehow was more offensive. I suppose they're both accurate and probably not offensive, and likely just a regional thing. The book explains what the term means succinctly enough for a child, at least.

[Laurie Clary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dogs is a wonderful book I enjoy using to teach students about the author's purpose, to inform the reader. The history of dogs and all types of dog breeds are discussed in this book. Gail Gibbons shares how dogs are different, but still have the same basic needs. This book is a must read for anyone who loves or even likes dogs!

[Emily Benner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Plot summary: This book is a very informational book about dog breeds. It starts out by talking about have dogs’ ancestors are wolves and how long they have lived. It mentions many different types of breeds ranging from crossbreeds, purebreds, mutts, etc. It gives many vocabulary words that would broaden a child's vocabulary about dogs. This book talks about basic characteristics of a dog and the emotions a dog can show. It gives a good amount of details about each breed and how they work.

Reader Response: Two ways that this book can be used in reader response activities in the classroom are through higher order thinking strategies and creative arts. Using higher order thinking strategies you could have the children pick a dog breed that they like best and research the breed in more detail and make a poster to share with the class. With creative arts, you could have the children draw their dog or favorite dog.

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good book that explains how dogs came to be domesticated, their ancestors, their body structure and some particulars about how their bodies work differently from ours. The book also depicts different breeds and describes how they communicate. It also offers advice for caring for both puppies and dogs and shows how dogs have had different jobs, based on the particular strengths of the breed. All in all, it's a helpful book for children to learn more about the species and to become more aware of the different kinds of dogs. It's informative, but not overwhelming and the illustrations are big and colorful. Recommended for grades K-3.

[Chak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gail Gibbons has the best non-fiction for children I've seen. If you want simple, easy, yet very, very detailed explanatory books for children 5-9, she's your gal. Dogs was no exception.