The best books with the word “dog” in the title

Kate Feiffer Author Of Henry the Dog with No Tail
By Kate Feiffer

Who am I?

I am the author of eleven children’s books, including Double Pink, My Mom is Trying to Ruin My Life, and No Go Sleep! As a dog lover, many of my books are about dogs or feature dogs. In President Pennybaker, illustrated by Diane Goode, a dog become president. In The Problem with The Puddles, illustrated by Tricia Tusa, a chihuahua and a Great Dane, both named Sally, get separated from their family and have a rollicking adventure trying to get reunited. When I write, I try to find clever approaches to universal themes and enjoy making children laugh. (I am also the event producer for Islanders Write, a writer’s festival on Martha’s Vineyard Island.)

I wrote...

Henry the Dog with No Tail

By Kate Feiffer, Jules Feiffer (illustrator),

Book cover of Henry the Dog with No Tail

What is my book about?

This funny pun-filled picture book is ideal for ages 4-8. Henry the Dog with No Tail is about a dog (he’s an Australian shepherd) who feels sad because he doesn’t have a tail, so he ventures out to get one. Henry returns home with a very long tail that wags so fast it lifts him off the ground and into the air. Henry is ultimately about accepting your differences and the differences of others. Great for kids who love dogs and a good laugh.

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The books I picked & why

Love That Dog

By Sharon Creech,

Book cover of Love That Dog

Why did I love this book?

This clever, funny, moving book for children of all ages, as they say, is one of my all-time favorites. If poetry isn’t your thing, this book will make you think again. The story unfolds as a series of notes from a reluctant poet, Jack, to his teacher, Miss Stretchberry, who is teaching them about poets and poetry.  

Love That Dog

By Sharon Creech,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked Love That Dog as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The Newbery Medal-winning author of Walk Two Moons, Sharon Creech, brings readers a story with enormous heart. 

Love That Dog shows how one boy named Jack finds his voice with the help of a teacher, a pencil, some yellow paper, and of course, a dog. Written as a series of free-verse poems from Jack's point of view, and with classic poetry included in the back matter, this novel is perfect for kids and teachers, too.

Jack hates poetry. Only girls write it and every time he tries to, his brain feels empty. But his teacher, Miss Stretchberry, won't stop giving…

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The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

By Mark Haddon,

Book cover of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

Why did I love this book?

Talk about voice! No need to dog-ear the pages of this clever, smart, engrossing, book about an autistic boy—he prefers dogs to people and he knows every prime number up to 7,057—and his investigation into the suspicious death of his neighbor’s dog, because it’s a serious page-turner. 

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

By Mark Haddon,

Why should I read it?

20 authors picked The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Winner of the Whitbread Book of the Year

'Outstanding...a stunningly good read' Observer

'Mark Haddon's portrayal of an emotionally dissociated mind is a superb achievement... Wise and bleakly funny' Ian McEwan

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is a murder mystery novel like no other. The detective, and narrator, is Christopher Boone. Christopher is fifteen and has Asperger's Syndrome. He knows a very great deal about maths and very little about human beings. He loves lists, patterns and the truth. He hates the colours yellow and brown and being touched. He has never gone further than the…

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Thurber's Dogs

By James Thurber,

Book cover of Thurber's Dogs

Why did I love this book?

As a lifelong doodler and a dog lover, I am a fan of James Thurber’s simple lines that say a lot and his witty whimsical way with words. Thurber was a celebrated writer and cartoonist—he died in 1961—who had a wry take on human nature and our idiosyncrasies. While much of his work feels dated now, in my opinion, his dog doodles are evergreen.

Thurber's Dogs

By James Thurber,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Thurber's Dogs as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Explores the charming world of Thurber's hounds as recorded in his prose and drawings

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What the Dog Saw: And Other Adventures

By Malcolm Gladwell,

Book cover of What the Dog Saw: And Other Adventures

Why did I love this book?

I downloaded What the Dog Saw as an audiobook because who better to keep you company on a long drive than Malcolm Gladwell. The book is a collection of his essays that were published in The New Yorker, including an essay about famed dog trainer Cesar Millan. As always, Gladwell’s perspective and research are illuminating.

What the Dog Saw: And Other Adventures

By Malcolm Gladwell,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked What the Dog Saw as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Malcolm Gladwell is the master of playful yet profound insight. His ability to see underneath the surface of the seemingly mundane taps into a fundamental human impulse: curiosity. From criminology to ketchup, job interviews to dog training, Malcolm Gladwell takes everyday subjects and shows us surprising new ways of looking at them, and the world around us. Are smart people overrated? What can pit bulls teach us about crime? Why are problems like homelessness easier to solve than to manage? How do we hire when we can't tell who's right for the job? Gladwell explores the minor geniuses, the underdogs…

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Stepdog

By Nicole Galland,

Book cover of Stepdog

Why did I love this book?

Yes, it’s a thing, and my dear friend Nicole Galland makes the most out of it in her funny and moving “rom-com” of a book about a different kind of blended family—one that involves an Irish actor in need of a green card, his new love, and her beloved dog. This book is a romp and a road trip for dog lovers and the lovers of dog lovers.

Stepdog

By Nicole Galland,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Stepdog as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

From the author of The Fool's Tale and I, Iago comes a disarmingly charming and warm-hearted "romcom" about a woman, her dog, and the man who has to prove that he is good enough for both of them. Sara Renault fired Rory O'Connor from his part-time job at a Boston art museum, and in response, Rory-an Irish actor secretly nursing a crush on his beautiful boss-threw caution to the wind, leaned over, and kissed her. Now Sara and Rory are madly in love. When Rory's visa runs out on the cusp of his big Hollywood break, Sara insists that he…

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You might also like...

The Rosewood Penny

By J.S. Fields,

Book cover of The Rosewood Penny

J.S. Fields

New book alert!

Sponsored by J.S. Fields Author

What is my book about?

The dragons of Yuro have been hunted to extinction. 

On a small, isolated island, in a reclusive forest, lives bandit leader Marani and her brother Jacks. With their outlaw band, they rob the rich to feed themselves, raiding carriages and dodging the occasional vindictive pegasus. Thanks to Marani’s mysterious invulnerability, this mostly works out well…until Marani and her quirky band of outlaws plunder the carriage of the very bossy princess Nuria.

The princess’s carriage contains not just gold, but a dragonscale comb that belonged to Marani’s murdered mother. Worse yet, Princess Nuria seems to know exactly who Marani is, maybe more than Marani herself.

The Rosewood Penny

By J.S. Fields,

What is this book about?

The dragons of Yuro have been hunted to extinction.

On a small, isolated island, in a reclusive forest, lives bandit leader Marani and her brother Jacks. With their outlaw band they rob from the rich to feed themselves, raiding carriages and dodging the occasional vindictive pegasus. Thanks to Marani’s mysterious invulnerability, this mostly works out well…until Marani and her quirky band of outlaws plunder the carriage of the very bossy princess Nuria.

The princess’s carriage contains not just gold, but a dragonscale comb that belonged to Marani’s murdered mother. Worse yet, Princess Nuria seems to know exactly who Marani is,…

Topics
Genres

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