From books exploring different breeds to training guides, dog-related titles are well represented in the 590s, but readers will definitely want to check out these two additions, which examine our canine companions in new and intriguing lights. Aimed at the picture book crowd, From Wolf to Woof explains how man’s best friend made the trajectory from wolf to household pet—and demonstrates how both humans and dogs are all the better for it. Older students will eagerly lap up the young readers edition of Inside of a Dog—and not just for the image of the sweet pup on the cover—for its dog’s-eye view of the world.

Horowitz, Alexandra. Inside of a Dog: Young Readers Edition: What Dogs See, Smell, and Know. illus. by Sean Vidal Edgerton. 256p. ebook available. index. notes. S. & S. Mar. 2016. Tr $16.99. ISBN 9781481450935.

Gr 6-8 –Despite their close companionship to humans, dogs are very different from us and have their own distinct umwelt, or the world as experienced by an animal. So goes just one of many fascinating observations in this young readers edition of the 2009 best seller by cognitive scientist Horowitz, a psychology professor and leader of the Dog Cognition Lab at Barnard College. Along the way, she dismantles some common misunderstandings, such as that dogs perceive their human families as a pack (dogs are descended from wolves but are not pack animals in the same way) and that they exhibit knowledge of guilt (research shows that dogs uniformly exhibit submissive behaviors when scolded, whether or not they’ve done anything “wrong”). While earlier chapters focus more on descriptions of behavior, the latter half details fascinating research and offers explanations of how scientists draw their conclusions. Horowitz covers play habits, facial expressions, vision and other senses, urine marking, memory and language, and even the canine “theory of mind.” Chapters are interspersed throughout with brief recollections of the author’s mixed-breed, Pumpernickel, to whom the book is dedicated. VERDICT Clearly and confidently written, engaging, and comprehensive, this title will delight dog lovers and budding scientists and will serve just as well as a general narrative nonfiction text.–Bob Hassett, Luther Jackson Middle School, Falls Church, VA

Talbott, Hudson. From Wolf to Woof: The Story of Dogs. illus. by Hudson Talbott. 40p. Penguin/Nancy Paulsen Bks. Apr. 2016. Tr $16.99. ISBN 9780399254048.

PreS-Gr 2 –Through charming illustrations and minimal text, Talbott tells the story of how ancient wolves evolved into the dogs we know today. Young readers will love the nonverbal clarity of the image of a little orphan boy hiding in the shrubs watching a wolf pack run and the lonely cub trying to find his way back into the fold. The cute factor is a little over-the-top at times: the cub tries to howl, “Boy” as the pair find their way to friendship and teamwork and begin to build their own group of outcasts. This very simple interpretation, in which the boy and cub do even better than human or wolf packs, certainly has appeal but will not be useful to report writers or older readers. The closing pages show the progressive domestication of dogs from wolves to the pets that live in our homes, in all the diversity we know. VERDICT This big story in a small package hews close to current scientific understanding and is likely to be popular in most libraries, though it will be of limited value to those doing schoolwork.–Dorcas Hand, Annunciation Orthodox School, Houston, TX

These reviews were published in the School Library Journal February 2016 issue.