Review Detail

What a fantastic introduction to working dogs and animal careers! I grew up surrounded by “dog people,” with weekend trips to dog agility trials, annual pilgrimages to hearfin dog trials and training my own rescue dogs to be therapy dogs to visit nursing homes. I can say that with certainty that Sinclair has created an engaging non-fiction book that satisfies children's natural curiosity about animals while introducing important concepts about work, service, and human-animal partnerships.
The book covers a wonderful range of working dog roles - from guide dogs to search and rescue to therapy animals. My preschooler was fascinated by the variety of jobs dogs can have and immediately started asking questions about how dogs learn to do different jobs and what makes them good at different tasks.We've used it to discuss animal behavior, training methods, community helpers, and the ways humans and animals can work together. It's sparked some wonderful research projects about local working dogs in our community. We were able to visit a training club focused on scentwork, and were able to talk about all the jobs from this book that dogs use their scent of smell for. We also had the good fortune to meet a diabetic alert dog and talk to his owner while we were there. It was a fabulous field trip inspired by this book!
The photographs are absolutely gorgeous - clear, engaging images that show dogs in action. My children love examining all the details and comparing the different types of equipment and environments associated with various dog jobs. The visual storytelling really supports the text beautifully.
What I particularly appreciate is how this book expands children's understanding of careers and service. It shows how meaningful work comes in many forms and how everyone (including animals) can contribute to their communities in important ways.
The book also touches on the special bond between working dogs and their human partners, which opens up conversations about responsibility, trust, and cooperation. My preschooler has started talking about what kind of "job" he might want when he grows up, inspired by seeing how working dogs find purpose and fulfillment. At the moment he is planning to be a police officer with a police dog (and a wide variety of other police animals). This is a great book to have in any library, but is especially great if you have a kid who is interested in dogs and dog training.