The Year of the Puppy: How a Puppy Becomes Your Dog

by Alexandra Horowitz Narrated by Alexandra Horowitz

Overview

What is it like to be a puppy? What's going on in their minds? In this adaptation for young readers, Alexandra Horowitz answers those questions all kids have--and more!

Few people get to meet their dogs on the dog's actual first birthday. Most of us missed the day our puppy opened her eyes, the first sweet sounds she made, or watching her learn to walk, bark, and play with her siblings. But the dog scientist Alexandra Horowitz got to. She met a litter of newborn pups, and traces their journey through their first year of life.

In this adaptation for young readers, follow along as one of the litter, Quiddity, grows from a sweet potato-sized puppy who can't lift her head to a member of Horowitz's family. Equal parts scientific and adventurous, Alexandra Horowitz's delightful study of her own puppy's developing personality is an enticing read that will answer every question a reader could have during a puppy's first year.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

"Readers interested in a dog’s world and how humans and dogs communicate will find a wealth of information here. A focused and earnest guide for young dog lovers." Kirkus Reviews 

Kirkus Reviews

2024-01-19
A dog cognition researcher adopts a puppy and observes her development through a scientific and personal lens.

This guide to dog development is organized chronologically, from the birth of a litter of puppies through each week of their development until they are adopted. The book continues through one puppy’s first year as she adapts to home life, and the family members—Horowitz, her husband, her son, two older dogs, and a cat—adjust to her presence. The author folds plenty of scientific information about canine development and socialization into her personal narrative, using advanced vocabulary that’s defined in-text. In parallel with her observations of new family member Quiddity—Quid for short—the author tacks on information about a litter of puppies who are being raised to be working dogs, for whom the training and expectations are very different than for family pets. The book also features cute photos, fun lists (“Some things the puppy has eaten/chewed that are not for eating/chewing: an observational study”), and even an Ear Semaphore Code chart. Horowitz acknowledges that dog cognition researchers “can be too close to our subjects to see them well,” which may be especially true if the dogs are their own, but readers interested in a dog’s world and how humans and dogs communicate will find a wealth of information here.

A focused and earnest guide for young dog lovers. (Nonfiction. 10-14)

Product Details

BN ID:	2940159543554
Publisher:	Penguin Random House
Publication date:	04/16/2024
Edition description:	Unabridged
Age Range:	8 - 11 Years

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