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Reviewed by:
  • Because of Shoe and Other Dog Stories
  • Jeannette Hulick
Martin, Ann M. , ed. Because of Shoe and Other Dog Stories; ed. by Ann M. Martin; illus. by Aleksey and Olga Ivanov et al.Holt, 2012. 261p. ISBN 978-0-8050-9314-8 $15.99 Ad Gr. 4-6.

This ode to the canine condition consists of nine original short stories by Martin and eight other authors. Entries feature dogs who catch crooks, dogs who save people, dogs who get lost, and even a boy who turns into a dog temporarily. Several of the stories in this collection are unfortunately rather pedestrian and mediocre, but a few stand out as stellar. In "The God of the Pond" by Valerie Hobbs, Bertha the dog saves her girl by reaching out to a sworn enemy; in the poetic prose of Margarita Engle's "Trail Magic," the narrator finds comfort from a search and rescue dog as he heads out on a poorly planned mission. The standout is Matt de la Peña's "Things People Can't See," in which a dog "too ugly to be a hundred percent dog" helps scholarship-kid Chico find his place in a ritzy private school. Affectionate monochromatic illustrations by Olga and Aleksey Ivanov (and the authors themselves in some stories) add further kid appeal to this title, whose big print and inviting subject provide broad accessibility. Readers may want to skim through the weaker [End Page 156]tales of the first half, but the second half will satisfy like a handful of Milk Bones after a rousing game of fetch.

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