WOOF! All About Dogs

SLED DOGS

	The Sled Dog Relay That Inspired the Iditarod is the story of the “Great Race of Mercy,” involving 20 drivers and 150 dogs, who collaborated to bring diphtheria antitoxin from Anchorage to the beleaguered town of Nome, 1000 miles away.
	In Robert Blake’s Akiak: A Tale from the Iditarod (Puffin, 2004), Akiak – lead husky on her Iditarod team – injures her paw and has to be left behind. Feisty Akiak, however, sets off to catch up with her owner. For ages 5-9.
	Natalie Standiford’s The Bravest Dog Ever: The True Story of Balto (Random House, 1989) is the story of Balto, the sled dog who led his team through the Alaskan wilderness to deliver diphtheria antitoxin to sick children in Nome. Based on a true occurrence in 1925. For ages 5-8.
	Debbie Miller’s The Great Serum Race (Walker Children’s Books, 2006) is the story of the 1925 serum run, in which twenty teams of sled dogs – among them Togo and Balto – brought diphtheria antitoxin to the town of Nome, Alaska. It’s this heroic race that is commemorated annually by the Iditarod. For ages 7-12.
	Also see Elizabeth Cody Kimmel’s Balto and the Great Race (Random House, 2009), a more detailed account of the story for ages 8-11.
	In 1985, Libby Riddles became the first woman to win the 1000+-mile Iditarod race. She tells her story in Storm Run (Sasquatch Books, 2002). For ages 6-10.
	Joe Funk’s Mush! The Sled Dogs of the Iditarod (Scholastic, 2013) is a short chapter book covering sled dogs, the Iditarod (sometimes called the “Last Great Race on Earth”), the tools and techniques of dogsled racing, and famous racing dogs. Illustrated with maps and color photographs. For ages 7-11.
	In John Reynolds Gardiner’s Stone Fox (HarperCollins, 2010) Little Willy is determined to win a dog sled race in order to use the prize money to save his grandfather’s farm. The problem is that Willy and his dog Searchlight are up against Stone Fox, a massive and silent native American who has never lost a race. The wonderful ending always makes me cry. For ages 9-12.
	Jack London’s Call of the Wild (Kingfisher Classics, 2002), originally published in 1903, is set during the Klondike Gold Rush. Buck, the main character, is stolen from his home in California and taken to the Yukon, where he must survive as a sled dog. For ages 12 and up.
	The latest movie version of Call of the Wild (2020), starring Harrison Ford, is rated PG.
	In Gary Paulsen’s Newbery Honor book Dogsong (Simon Pulse, 2007), young Russel Susskit takes the village shaman Oogruk’s dog team and heads off on a voyage of self-discovery across the Alaskan wilderness. For ages 12 and up.

HELPFUL DOGS

	In Glenna Lang’s picture-book Looking Out for Sarah (Charlesbridge, 2003), Perry, a guide dog, helps Sarah, who is blind, as she goes through the day. For ages 4-7.
	At How Guide Dogs Work, find out all about guide dogs for the blind, including what they do and how they are trained.
	In Mary Pope Osborne’s 46th Magic Tree House book, Dogs in the Dead of Night (Random House, 2013), Jack and Annie – searching for a rare flower needed to break a magic spell – end up at a monastery in the Swiss Alps, where they meet up with Barry, a St. Bernard dog, trained to save avalanche victims. For ages 6-9.
	In the Magic Tree House Fact Tracker series, see the non-fiction companion book Dog Heroes (Random House, 2011) for lots of information about St. Bernard rescue dogs, war dog heroes, and service dogs. For ages 8-9.
	Dorothy Hinshaw Patent’s The Right Dog for the Job (Walker Children’s Books, 2004) is a photo-essay about Ira, a golden retriever, being trained as a service dog to help the disabled. For ages 7-12.
	By Cammie McGovern, Chester and Gus (HarperCollins, 2017) is the story of Chester, a failed service dog (he can’t resist chasing squirrels), adopted as a companion to Gus, a ten-year-old with severe autism. A heartwarmer. For ages 9-12.