THE TRUE-OR-FALSE BOOK OF DOGS

Following the same format as her previous, similarly titled works on cats and horses, Lauber first briefs readers on the hypothetical origins of the dog-human relationship and then takes them through a series of true-or-false questions exploring dog physiology, behavior, breeding, and psychology. While many of the questions may appear to be leading the witness, so to speak—has it really independently occurred to readers to wonder whether “[d]ogs bark less than wolves do?”—they nevertheless painlessly add to the reader’s store of canine knowledge. One significant weakness is her presentation of early dog-human interaction as absolute fact with much assertion and little reference to anthropological research—“Because people like to feed animals, [early humans] probably threw bits of food to the friendlier wolves”—but then, this never pretends to be hard science. Schanzer’s carefully labeled ink-and-watercolor cartoony illustrations feature a variety of ancient and modern breeds (and non-breeds) in both dramatic and humorous situations, adding to the breezy tone. (Nonfiction. 6-10)