From ANIMAL PEOPLE,  January/February 2013:

The $60,000 Dog:  My Life With Animals by Lauren Slater Beacon Press (c/o Random House,  1745 Broadway,  New York, NY 10019),  2012.  251 pages,  hardcover.  $24.95.

Usually if an author subtitles a book “My life with animals,”  or something similar,  the author is known for having had a life with animals,  as a veterinarian,  sanctuarian,   biologist,  zookeeper,  or trainer.  Lauren Slater,  though a veterinary technician for a brief time early in her adult life,  is not known  for anything much involving animals.   Read more

From ANIMAL PEOPLE,  January/February 2013:

The Tail of Gigi:  Gigi finds a home  Story & art by Maureen Skaggs Windy City Publishers,  2012.  ($10.99 c/o Amazon.com)

Even beginning readers,  the target audience,  will recognize the title pun in The Tail of Gigi,  the story of a small fluffy street dog who is taken to a shelter,  prepared for adoption,  and placed in a perfect home. In real life,  street dogs who resemble Gigi are found mainly in Asia.  Shelters like the one that finds a home for Gigi exist mostly in places that have had no street dogs in generations.  As fantasies about street dogs and sheltering go,  though,  this one is harmless.  Toddlers will love it.             ––Merritt Clifton