Dog lovers, particularly middle-school-aged dog lovers, would enjoy this collection of poems & narratives written by teens. From a teacher's perspective, this has excellent examples of personal narratives at the grade 7/8 level, several of them effectively capturing the personality of their dog (without just "telling").

Pg. 11--a great poem for a point of view/perspective lesson (speaker compares the world according to dog and world according to person, suggesting how cool it would be to switch places for a day; she could find "answers to questions I've never asked."
"Dog & Squirrel: Steps in a Flirtation" is particularly good--2 voices (dog & squirrel, juxtaposed).
"Separation" is particularly excellent as far as poetry goes.

Check it out! ( )

As a dog lover and owner, I thought this was a very sweet book that captured the essence of the canine spirit and the effect it can have on humans, especially young people. The artistically blurred, black-and-white photographs that accompany the poetic work seem to reject boundaries, speaking to the limitless range of emotions and experiences dogs can offer humans. The essays were often very touching.

I would have this book available in the classroom or library as an aid to help students through those troubled teenage years. Examples of teens taking comfort in animals might encourage readers to do the same, while a connection to the author and teen writers could take place through the love of dogs.

This is a wonderful book of poetry by Joyce Sidman along with several essays by teen authors. It is heartfelt look at dogs and our relationships with them. Any age can read this and enjoy it over and over again. ( )

A very insightful book from both a dogs point of view, and their owners. This book has great poetry from teens and short blurbs. The book has a lot of photography that is very adorable. Perfect for dog lovers. ( )

Funny, comforting, and surprising, this book is a refreshing and unique look at teen relationships, feelings, and their bond with their pets. Dogs are perfect companions for teens: they are accepting, adoring, and forgiving of the people who care for them without judgement or scrutiny.