Is My Dog a Wolf?: How Your Pet Compares to Its Wild Cousin [Hardcover]

Jenni Bidner (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 6 and up | Grade Level: 1 and up

He’s wagging his tail, fetching the Frisbee, and eager to get petted—in short, Fido’s living up to his title as “man’s best friend.” But the domesticated dog’s got a special secret: in many ways, he’s really a lot like a wolf. Using amazing close-up images she shot inside a real wolf lair, as well as museum-quality historical pictures and illustrations, award-winning author and photographer Jenni Bidner compares the pet pup with his wild ancestor. Why did dogs become dogs and wolves stay wolves? Should you ever have a wolf in the house—or a hybrid? And exactly why do dogs like to lick your face? Along the way, Bidner debunks popular myths about wolves and provides a true and fascinating look at their behavior.

In addition to being an accomplished photographer and award-winning author of over a dozen books—including The Kids' Guide to Digital Photography and Dog Heroes—Jenni Bidner is a canine (K9) handler with Illinois-Wisconsin Search & Rescue Dogs. This nonprofit organization assists police and fire departments in locating lost and missing people.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-6–This book identifies instinctual behaviors in wolves, such as pack living, licking and biting at one another, and howling, and describes how they are manifested in the common house dog, even though the species changed thousands of years ago. Bidner touches on myths as well, citing references to the Big Bad Wolf of Red Riding Hood fame and Aesop's fable about the wolf and the dog. Clear color photographs beautifully illustrate the text. This informative, entertaining title is suitable for reports and for general reading.–Cynde Suite, Bartow County Library System, Adairsville, GA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

The cover photo will pull readers right in: a split picture--half golden retriever and half gray wolf. And once inside, kids will be fascinated by the similarities between their friendly pets and wild wolves. The book begins with a (too) brief explanation of how the species diverged. This is the book's one real shortfall; kids will be left with questions about dogs' origins. But after that, the text takes off, explaining the differences and similarities between dogs and wolves and answering such questions as Can wolves be trained? and Why does a dog like to lick humans' faces? (The answer isn't pretty.) There's also information about the animals' senses, the meaning of their poses and expressions, their food and behavior. Bolstering all this are terrific black-and-white and color photographs--some filling up the pages, others in snapshot form. The wolves are often suitably scary, and the dogs are pretty darn cute. Several Web site references are listed on the final pages. Linda Zeilstra
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 6 and up
  
• Hardcover: 64 pages
• Publisher: Lark Books (June 28, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1579907326
• ISBN-13: 978-1579907327
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 9.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,255,171 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Is My Dog a Wolf, February 16, 2007

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Is My Dog a Wolf?: How Your Pet Compares to Its Wild Cousin (Hardcover)

I read Is my Dog a Wolf. The book has many facts and stories about wolves. One fact is that you can tell their emotions by their ears. I think this book is amazing. I have a favorite part when they show pictures of puppies. I would recommend this book to people who love dogs.

by MW

5.0 out of 5 stars History, Behavior, and Training Simplified, December 23, 2008

By 

Suzy - See all my reviews

This review is from: Is My Dog a Wolf?: How Your Pet Compares to Its Wild Cousin (Hardcover)

While this book is intended for children, it is informative, inspiring, and fun for adults too! The author examines the lives and behaviors of wolves, then demonstrates in gorgeous photographs and short text how our faithful companions have changed since - and remained similar to - their distant cousins.

I love that this book is in line with my company's mission and values. Jenni explains why dogs dig, lick our faces, and need leaders for their "pack." In just a few pictures, she gives an introduction to dog communication. And she has a knack for taking a photo of wild wolves that mirrors exactly the expressions of our loyal dogs.

Get this book for the history of how our dogs came to be "man's best friend."

5.0 out of 5 stars Is My Dog a Wolf?, September 1, 2008

By 

Cheryl A. Buckles "Raven Books" (Bartlesville, OK) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Is My Dog a Wolf?: How Your Pet Compares to Its Wild Cousin (Hardcover)

My granddaughter checked this out from thelibrary and I was so enthusiastic about the information that I wanted a copy here for them to have. So happy it was available and in such good condition.