Uncle Boris in the Yukon: and Other Shaggy Dog Stories (Paperback)

~ (Author) "My father appeared to be pretty near illiterate-anyway in English..." (more)
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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

inkwater, author of children's books (The Hoboken Chicken Emergency; Lizard Music) and a commentator on NPR's All Things Considered, delivers a witty rumination on his experiences with dogs. Uncle Boris, one of the many colorful and dysfunctional adults of Pinkwater's childhood, gave his parents a Pekingese named Bobby shortly before the author's birth. Uncle Boris made a living selling fake purebreds and assured Pinkwater's father that "a dog lik dis is all deh rage in deh best parts of Brooklyn." Bobby's sole redeeming feature was that he appointed himself the new baby's guardian, thus protecting Pinkwater from his "precivilized" parents. Also featured here are other family pets, such as the asthmatic terrier Bootsie and Pedro the psychotic parrot. After Pinkwater married, he and his wife Jill (who has illustrated a number of Pinkwater's books) began acquiring malamutes; as a result of the training challenges that ensued, they established themselves as experts who taught people "how to better enjoy dogs." They published what they learned in the 1977 book, Superpuppy, but even this latest volume contains a few tricks of the trade. From anecdotes about an aging wolf named Matilda to reflections on how dogs have shown him "a lot about how it's possible to live this life," Pinkwater's light and extremely entertaining read will please animal lovers of all stripes. Drawings by the author.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Is it any wonder that an author known for his comic and outrageously imaginative children's books would write about his experiences with man's best friend in an unconventional, albeit engaging, way? Pinkwater here remembers all the dogs that have passed through his life, from the shaggy Pekinese given to his family by Uncle Boris (who supposedly encountered Jack London in the tailor shop that Pinkwater's father once owned in Warsaw) and Stan the Irish setter, acquired without his father's knowledge, to Juno, the Alaskan malamute that Pinkwater bought after he was smitten by the sight of two large sled dogs in Manhattan, and Arnold, the puppy. Pinkwater does not intend this as a how-to-train book; he covered that base in Superpuppy, aimed at children, after reading hundreds of training manuals and deciding that much of what had been written about canines had no foundation in reality. The reader must decide how much of this humorous and creative reminiscence is fact and how much is fiction. Sure to be popular where dog books and the author's other works are enjoyed, this is recommended for larger public libraries and young adult collections. Edell M. Schaefer, Brookfield P.L., WI
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 220 pages
• Publisher: Harvest Books (October 14, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0156027151
• ISBN-13: 978-0156027151
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #593,498 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dogs from the Pinkwater Perspective, November 18, 2001

By	Susan G. Hamilton "Sue Hamilton" (Harwinton, CT United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Uncle Boris in the Yukon and Other Shaggy Dog Stories (Hardcover)

Former professional dog trainer, author, humorist, and commentator on National Public Radio, Daniel Pinkwater introduces the tale of his Uncle Boris, a small time hoodlum from Warsaw, Poland, as a jumping off point about the author's life-long relationship with dogs. According to Pinkwater, Uncle Boris left Europe to pan for gold in the Yukon. During those long stretches away from civilization, Uncle Boris' only companions were his team of malamutes, especially his lead dog Jake, with whom he would carry on two-way conversations in Yiddish. Unsuccessful in his hunt for gold, and later a talking dog act, Boris ends up settling in Brooklyn, New York. A life long dog fancier, "making a profitable side line of faking and selling purebreds", he brings to his brother a sort of Pekingese. When the newborn Daniel arrives on the scene, Bobby, appoints himself the infant's guardian, protecting him from being eaten during that period of his life when Pinkwater described himself as resembling a meatloaf. According to Pinkwater, Bobby "and the other dogs, taught me what I needed to know about becoming a human being."

Uncle Boris in the Yukon and Other Shaggy Dog Stories is devoted to the accounts, both hilarious and poignant, of Pinkwater's journey to and through adulthood, and the critters that have shared and shaped his life and outlook: the dogs he and wife Jill have owned, among them three Alaskan malamutes and an Akita cross, as well as the hundreds they encountered as professional obedience instructors; also Matilda the Wolf and an Inuit Sled Dog named Puggiq, described as the happiest being ever encountered. Currently the Pinkwaters share their home with Maxine, an aging Labrador retriever and Lulu, a five year old Inuit Sled Dog.

Delightfully illustrated by Jill Pinkwater, Uncle Boris in the Yukon and Other Shaggy Dog Stories is more than just pleasurable reading. Those of us who are "doggie" in general and have northern breeds in particular will appreciate Pinkwater's keen, if slightly embellished, perception and understanding about dogs, and will surely recognize similarities with some of our own four-legged companions.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rave reviews for Uncle Boris in the Yukon, December 3, 2001

By	Christina Birdsong (Norfolk VA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Uncle Boris in the Yukon and Other Shaggy Dog Stories (Hardcover)

Anyone who knows Daniel Manus Pinkwater's work is destined to buy this book for the sheer pleasure of carefully digesting every syllable he writes, as always. In this autobiographical book he bears his huge soul, his comical side (that we all know and love) and his uncanny, campy, unusual way of looking at the world, all as it relates to his many relationships with Canines.
Buy it! You will not be disappointed.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Still magical, even in the adult world, December 2, 2001

By	Joseph D Baptist (SF Bay Area, CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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This review is from: Uncle Boris in the Yukon and Other Shaggy Dog Stories (Hardcover)

This collection of stories about family, dogs, and the bonds that make life worthwhile contains much of the Pinkwater magic and whimsy. As a long time Pinkwater reader and fan, I feel like this time he's not telling a story, but simply sharing his life - one friend to another.
My dog, Gracie, also recommends this one as a "dog & person" snuggle read.