Big Dogs, Little Dogs: A Visual Guide to the World's Dogs (Big and Little) - Hardcover

Medway, Jim

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1770858288 ISBN 13: 9781770858282

Publisher: Firefly Books, 2016

Synopsis

300 dog breeds for dog lovers young and old.

This wonderfully illustrated book features 300 dog breeds, including every breed recognized by the American Kennel Club.

Fun double-page spreads show dogs in the seven official groupings
-- Working, Toy, Hound, Terrier, Herding, Sporting, Non-Sporting -- as well as "designer" dogs like the Labradoodle and Chiweenie. There are also some obscure breeds recognized by other kennel clubs in Europe, like the Canadian Eskimo Dog and Australian Silky Terrier, as well as some dogs not yet officially recognized by the American Kennel Club.

There are 300 breeds illustrated.

The specially commissioned color drawings are accurate and engaging. At the end of the book is an entertaining puppy identifier where children can test their ability to recognize the breed of 30 puppies. There is also a Dog Breed Fact Index with interesting trivia about all of the breeds.

More than one-third of American households has a dog. With Big Dogs, Little Dogs, children and adults alike will enjoy learning and identifying the dogs that they encounter. It is fun and informative, and it might instill a lifelong interest in "man's best friend."

About this title

About the Author

Illustrator Jim Medway studied in Manchester and now lives and works in Derbyshire. He has illustrated fiction, comic books and children's books, including The Land of the Frontiebacks: A Curious Alphabet of Confused Creatures, winner of the 2014 Junior Magazines' Children's Book of the Year Design Award.

Reviews

PreS-Gr 3—Chinese crested, English cocker spaniel, puli, corgi, and more: breeds both familiar and unfamiliar are positively bursting out of this oversize volume. A table of contents breaks down the dogs by general groups and provides a bit of information. There's a spread for each of the seven major categories (working dogs, hound dogs, sporting dogs, and so on) as well as sections on European, world, and mixed-breed dogs. A final spread is devoted to puppies (the authors explain that "some puppies look very different from the adult dogs they turn into"). Unlike most animal reference guides, this one lacks photographs and contains very little text. Each playful image is accompanied by the breed's name, and a listing at the end features a brief description of each dog, along with a page number indicating where in the book the canine is located. However, what this offering lacks in content it more than makes up for in personality. Medway imbues each of his canines with individuality (an admirable feat, given the sheer number of dogs covered), from the sad-eyed bullmastiff to the scowling bulldog to the cheery American Eskimo dog. These expressive creatures have a gentle, almost old-fashioned look to them, but the artist never veers into anthropomorphism. VERDICT Those seeking facts for school reports should stick to more traditional resources, but dog lovers will spend hours poring over these winsome illustrations.—Mahnaz Dar, School Library Journal

Edition details

• Publisher: Firefly Books
• Publication date: 2016
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1770858288
• ISBN 13: 9781770858282
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 32