How to Talk to Your Dog [Paperback]

Jean Craighead George (Author), Sue Truesdell (Illustrator)

Book Description

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

Find out what your dog is really saying -- and talk back!

Jean Craighead George, Newbery Medal -- winning author of over 80 books about nature and animals, demonstrates in words and photos how to communicate with your best friend.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Dog talk is not merely whimpers, growls, sniffs, barks, and howls. According to award-winning author Jean Craighead George, it's in the tail ("the flag of feelings") and ear twists, too. In this irresistible picture book, you'll learn how to speak to your dog in his or her own language. Sniff his nose to say hello, for example. (You don't have to lick back, even though it would please him.) While you'll never be a match for your dog in the sniffing department, you can look deeply into his eyes or you can whimper to show you care. Don't growl or bark, however. ("Although it's fun, it is not very rewarding to bark at your dog. He doesn't understand your bad accent and may twist his head and look at you in confusion.")

Sue Truesdell's splendidly doggish illustrations interact with photos of Jean Craighead George herself--a woman who has been around dogs her whole life. Dog lovers of all ages will run in circles for this loving, funny celebration of the human-canine relationship. For those who prefer cats, investigate the companion title, How to Talk to Your Cat. (Ages 7 to 107) --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From School Library Journal

Grade 2-5-An easy-to-read, conversational, humorous, and informative guide that will help young dog owners communicate with their pets. (However, the author warns, "it is not very rewarding to bark at your dog. He doesn't understand your bad accent, and may twist his head and look at you in confusion.") The illustrations depict George interacting with various cartoon canines whose expressive and varied postures, faces, and actions are irresistible in a Jules Feifferesque way. They begin with a demonstration of how to get the dog's attention and show who's the boss. (George is shown on all fours, "tail" in air, nose-to-nose with a yellow mixed-breed in the same posture.) The book then explains tail talk, facial expressions, sniffing behaviors, eye language, and sounds. The author's affectionate understanding of dogs is very apparent, and makes this book one that can be read just for pleasure by any dog lover, as well as for information by any child curious as to what certain actions may mean-or how to stop a dog from doing them. The final picture of George sitting on a park bench with dogs on and around her-goofy dogs, adoring dogs, stolid dogs, sleepy dogs-is a perfect portrayal of good communication.
Marian Drabkin, Richmond Public Library, CA
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 6 and up
  
• Paperback: 40 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins (February 4, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060006234
• ISBN-13: 978-0060006235
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 8.5 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #364,093 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #13 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Authors & Illustrators, A-Z > ( G ) > George, Jean Craighead
  • #29 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Animals > Pets > Nonfiction
  • #47 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Animals > Dogs > Nonfiction

More About the Author

Jean Craighead George was born in a family of naturalists. Her father, mother, brothers, aunts and uncles were students of nature. On weekends they camped in the woods near their Washington, D.C. home, climbed trees to study owls, gathered edible plants and made fish hooks from twigs. Her first pet was a turkey vulture. In third grade she began writing and hasn't stopped yet. She has written over 100 books.Her book, Julie of the Wolves won the prestigious Newbery Medal, the American Library Association's award for the most distinguished contribution to literature for children, l973. My Side of the Mountain, the story of a boy and a falcon surviving on a mountain together, was a 1960 Newbery Honor Book. She has also received 20 other awards.She attended Penn State University graduating with a degree in Science and Literature. In the 1940s she was a reporter for The Washington Post and a member of the White House Press Corps. After her children were born she returned to her love of nature and brought owls, robins, mink, sea gulls, tarantulas - 173 wild animals into their home and backyard. These became characters in her books and, although always free to go, they would stay with the family until the sun changed their behavior and they migrated or went off to seek partners of their own kind.When her children, Twig, Craig and Luke, were old enough to carry their own backpacks, they all went to the animals. They climbed mountains, canoed rivers, hiked deserts. Her children learned about nature and Jean came home and to write books. Craig and Luke are now environmental scientists and Twig writes children's books, too.One summer Jean learned that the wolves were friendly, lived in a well-run society and communicated with each other in wolf talk -- sound, sight, posture, scent and coloration. Excited to learn more, she took Luke and went to the Naval Arctic Research Laboratory in Barrow, Alaska, where scientists were studying this remarkable animal. She even talked to the wolves in their own language. With that Julie of the Wolves was born. A little girl walking on the vast lonesome tundra outside Barrow, and a magnificent alpha male wolf, leader of a pack in Denali National Park were the inspiration for the characters in the book. Years later, after many requests from her readers, she wrote the sequels, Julie and Julie's Wolf Pack.She is still traveling and coming home to write. In the last decade she has added two beautiful new dimensions to her words beautiful full-color picture book art by Wendell Minor and others and - music. Jean is collaborating with award-winning composer, Chris Kubie to bring the sounds of nature to her words.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

74 of 82 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A Note of CAUTION is Needed, April 21, 2000

By 

Doris Herber - See all my reviews

This review is from: How to Talk to Your Dog (Talk to Your Pets) (Hardcover)

While this is a fun book to look at, and addresses a badly needed topic, this book contains some misleading, questionable, potentially dangerous advice. As a person who works with dogs and children, and who spends much of my time cautioning children about keeping away from a dog's face and watching their movements and body language around dogs, both familiar and strange, I cringe at the possible results of a chid following the advice, "Sniff his nose to tell him not to be angry or confused." I would not advise an adult to do that. Waving objects over the head of a dominant dog, as suggested in the text, can also be dangerous. Dogs see children as litter mates and tend to want to correct them as they correct each other, with their teeth. I urge you to approach the ideas in this book with extreme CAUTION!

49 of 53 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars I wish she'd included a caution!, August 4, 2000

By 

Andrea (Bowdoin, ME) - See all my reviews

This review is from: How to Talk to Your Dog (Library Binding)

This book deserves _5 stars_ except for ONE THING...Jean George assumes children will realize that you cannot use these techniques with a strange dog. I wish this were true, but as a librarian, I was obligated to write my own disclaimer and glue it in the front endpapers. I adore the book (as does my 7 month old puppy!) and the skills really work (especially the kissy noises on the back of the hand), but I think Jean George kind of blew it by not telling children to NEVER EVER PUT THEIR FACES NEAR A STRANGE DOG!

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good book, but assumes too much of children, May 29, 2001

By 

C. Rosenthal (Virginia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: How to Talk to Your Dog (Talk to Your Pets) (Hardcover)

This book shows young people the joys of communicating with dogs, from how to recognize dog talk through body language to the various ways animals communicate through whimpers, sniffs, and barks. The book, however, assumes that young children will know not to apply these very "hands-on" techniques to strange dogs--a very dangerous assumption that could lead to dog bites. The book offers two suggestions that one should never do in front of an aggressive dog: one is to wave a newspaper above the dog's head, the other is to sniff a dog's nose to calm an angry or confused dog down. Children should never be expected to calm an angered or aggressive dog down. While the book has lots of good information on dog behavior that could benefit both children and adults, it lacks the cautionary requirements to keep kids from getting bitten by dogs too.