DOGS

In her Looking at Paintings series, Roalf discusses a worldwide sampling of 19 paintings of dogs, from the 12th century to the 20th. Each occasions a page-long discussion of the context in which it was painted (the Korean Puppy Carrying a Pheasant Feather was used in a Buddhist ritual to ward off evil, yet it's a ``wonderful combination of affection and humor [that] served to charm wrongdoers away, rather than to frighten them''), symbolic meanings, composition, and, especially, the painters' materials and techniques; she's unusually specific about kinds of brushes and how paint is layered. Each work is a fresh delight (Stubbs' apprehensive White Poodle in a Punt is comic testimony to the idea that animals may have complex feelings); they're also well chosen to exemplify styles and concepts. Additional illustrations (details, contrasting works) add nicely to the whole. Some ideas will be beyond most elementary-age children, but there's much here for them to learn and to enjoy—especially the beguiling dogs and the art itself. Also newly available: Musicians (ISBN: 1-56282-533-X). Glossary/index; full citations for the art. (Nonfiction. 9+)