Dog Days of History

Dog Days of History

Juvenile nonfiction
When I saw Sarah Albee's lavishly illustrated Dog Days of
History [a National Geographic book BTW] I suspected my manager at
work, Anna McDormand, would want me to check it out and review it for
her and all the others who cherish canine companionship. To be
truthful, though, I found the book simply irrosistible and I'm a cat
person.
Albee starts her narrative 15,000 years ago, looking at how dogs
parted company with wolves and adapted to human hangouts. She takes
on a magical world wide tour across time to the present, presenting us
with gems that even Anna might not have discovered such as:
*The Canary Islands were not named after birds. They were teeming
with wild dogs. (Canis in Latin);
*Dogs in the Renaissance were kitchen helpers;
*Puritan dogs served as human foot warmers during day long (!!!)
church services;
and *Saint Bernard dogs earned their name by rescuing lost and injured
travelers in the treacherous Great Saint Bernard Pass through the Alps.
My recommendation to Anna and all those who thing dogs are the
cats' pajamas: hie thee to the nearest library or bookstore to learn
how fabulous your favorite critters really are.
On a purrrsonal note, Anna loves dogs more than she loves people. So
I tell her we student workers are her dog pack and in her job she gets
to bring out the best in us. She says we're all purebreds and
champions. And which am I? Here are some clues.
1) I have a small and muscular build.
2) I'm instensely loyal, and in it for the long haul.
3) When it's snowing I plow through the white stuff to the bus stop to
get to school and work.
Yep. I'm Anna's little huskie.
A great big shout goes out to Anna and the best little cat in the
world whom I'm missing like crazy.
jules hathaway


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