From the publisher:

Two dozen Navy SEALs descended on Osama bin Laden’s compound in May 2011. After the mission, only one name was made public: Cairo, a Belgian Malinois and military working dog. Warrior Dog is the story of Cairo and his handler, Will Chesney, a member of SEAL Team Six whose life would be irrevocably tied to Cairo’s, specially adapted for young readers from Chesney and Joe Layden’s No Ordinary Dog.

Starting in 2008, when Will was introduced to the canine program, he and Cairo worked side by side, depending on each other for survival on hundreds of critical operations in the war on terrorism. But their bond went beyond their military service.

As Cairo aged and went on fewer missions, Will moved on to other assignments, forced to slowly—and painfully—distance himself from the dog. Then, in 2011, the call came: Pick up your dog and get back to Virginia. Now.

Cairo and Will trained for weeks for a secret mission, but it soon became clear that this was no ordinary operation. Cairo was among the first members of the U.S. military on the ground in Pakistan as part of Operation Neptune Spear, which resulted in the successful elimination of bin Laden.

As Cairo settled into a role as a reliable “spare dog,” Will went back to his job—until a grenade blast in 2013 left him severely injured. Unable to participate in further missions, he tried to recover, medicine provided only modest relief. Instead, it was up to Cairo to save Will’s life once more—and then up to Will to be there when Cairo needed him the most.

For other great books about dogs, check out 101 Best Dog Books for Kids.

For published authors and unpublished authors, check out our writing contests.

Bobbie’s book, The Dogs of Winter was also featured in Best Dog Books, the other focus of this blog. The Dogs of Winter is unique in that it is not only set in Russia, but features a pack of feral street dogs playing a key role in the story. Check out what Bobbie had to say in her World Reads interview here.

What is the title of your book? Pub date and publisher?

The Dogs of Winter, Arthur A. Levine Books/Scholastic, Oct. 2012

Who is your key dog character? Tell us about him/her.

The Dogs of Winter features a pack of feral street dogs who become Mishka’s family. These dogs (along with thousands of others) live wild on the streets of Moscow in Russia, and survive by begging and scrounging food and taking care of each other. The dogs in the book are Lucky, Little Mother, Grandmother, Rip, Smoke (the leader), and the puppies, Moon and Star.

In 70 words or less, provide a succinct plot description of your story. After the fall of the Soviet Union in the mid 1990s thousands of children and teens found themselves abandoned to the city streets. Young Mishka survives for two years after being adopted by a pack of street dogs. The book is based on a true story!

Starred reviews/blurbs or link you wish to share:

THE DOGS OF WINTER received three starred reviews: Booklist, The Bulletin for the Center of Children’s Books, and Kirkus. Kirkus also named THE DOGS OF WINTER to their Best Books of 2012 list!

What inspired you to write this story?

In 2005, I read a magazine article about feral children. The article opened with the story of four-year-old Ivan Mishukov, a homeless child who lived with a pack of street dogs from 1996-1998. Since I’ve always suspected I am more canine than primate, I’ve been fascinated by feral children for a long time! I was completely enthralled by Ivan’s story. I knew as soon as I read about Ivan and the dogs that I had to write a novel about them.

What was the biggest challenge you had writing your story? How did you overcome it?

Probably the biggest challenge was finding the courage to write the story. Many times, I started writing the book, only to get overwhelmed and discouraged by what all I didn’t know. I also felt like I had no right—as an American woman who had never really wanted for anything—to write not only this child’s story but the story of homeless street children everywhere. Truly, I think what helped me overcome all the doubts and insecurities I had was experience. From the time I read about Ivan in 2005 until I wrote the book in 2011, I wrote and had published two other books. That alone gave me the confidence to go forward with Mishka’s story.

What other YA/MG books have you written? Do any of them feature a key dog character? If so, which ones? What are these stories about?

My first book, a teen novel The Ring (Westside Books, 2009), is not a “dog book” although there are two family dogs in the story. My second book, a middle-grade novel, A Dog’s Way Home, has two main characters: Abby, an 11-year-old girl, and her beloved Shetland Sheepdog, Tam. In A Dog’s Way Home, Abby and Tam are tragically separated because of a terrible car accident. Tam, determined to return home to “his girl”, must travel over 400 miles in winter through the Appalachian mountains. Abby must do everything she can not only to find Tam but to maintain faith that they will be reunited.

What kind of story can we expect next from you? Is it about a dog? If so, what is it about?

My next book, Lucky Strike, is not a dog story. But the mayor of the small Florida fishing town where the story takes place is a dog.

What else would you like us to know about you or your story?

I have three dogs—two Shetland Sheepdogs and a coyote mix—all of whom are rescues. I am quite active in the Sheltie rescue community and with local rescue organizations.

Can you remember the first book that made an impact on you? And why?

The first book I can remember reading and re-reading and re-reading (when I was about nine) is Lassie Come-Home, by Eric Knight. It was the first book I’d read that truly captured that amazing, almost mystical bond between dogs and their people.

Thank you for joining us at Best Dog Books, Bobbie!

For more information about Bobbie, click here.

For other great books about dogs, check out 101 Best Dog Books for Kids.

For published authors and unpublished authors, check out our writing contests.

Today I welcome Martha Brockenbrough to Best Dog Books, a blog that features interviews with authors who’ve written a canine story for kids or young adults. Martha is here to talk about THIS OLD DOG which is a picture book illustrated by Gabriel Alboroz and published by Levine Querido. It will launch on September 1, 2020!

Best Dog Books: Who is your key dog character(s) and what kind of dog is he/she?

Old Dog is the star of this book, and he’s a dog that’s seen some things. Lakes. Whizzing balls. Beautiful trees. His body is starting to hurt a bit and it’s harder for him to get around, but he still savors his life.

Best Dog Books: Tell us about your story.

This is a book about an old dog who yearns for some of the pleasures of his youth—and finds the perfect companion in the form of a little girl taking her first steps.

Best Dog Books: What inspired you to write this story?

When my first daughter was a toddler, she and my old dog were the best of friends. And I noticed they were the perfect match for each other. They both liked to walk slowly, exploring everything about the world. They were both loving and patient and curious—all things I’d kind of lost touch with as a productivity-focused parent. So I wrote this book to celebrate that.

That dog is now long departed and the daughter is now 20 years old, which shows you how long I sat with the idea until I found the way to tell the story … I realized, when walking very slowly with another beloved old dog, that the language of a dog is all one-syllable words. I wrote this book entirely in one-syllable words, except for one word on the very last page. That’s what made it work for me, slipping deeply inside the heart of an old dog.

Best Dog Books: What was the biggest challenge you had writing your story? How did you overcome it?

Picture books are a difficult form. You have to convey so much in so few words, and you have to conceive of a story that has a second half—the images, none of which are in your control. It’s kind of like sending a wish out into the universe. You just have to hope it lands in the right place. And this one did! Old Dog is more charming than I could have dreamed. Gabriel Alborozo did a beautiful job with the visual half of the story. He brought this beautiful old dog to life.

Best Dog Books: What kind of story can we expect next from you? Is it about a dog? If so, what can you tell us about it?

I will have another dog book out next year! It’s an early chapter book starring a fussy cat named Frank and the new puppy who invades his heart—a corgi named Sunny. This will be a series about the way earnest puppies soften all of us. There’s a ton of love in it. Jon Lau will illustrate.

Best Dog Books: What else would you like us to know about you or your story?

Many people have been relieved to learn that Old Dog does not die in this book! So it’s a read that can give you pure joy, and I think that’s what all of us need more of right now in the moment.

Meanwhile, I have two dogs now: Dorothy and Millie, both golden retrievers. I share their photos all the time on Instagram.

Best Dog Books: Can you remember the first book that made an impact on you? Why?

When I was six years old, my great aunt and uncle gave me Dr. Seuss’s THE LORAX. That book turned me into a little environmentalist, which has not changed to this day. I think that’s the great thing about the books we read as children: our hearts recognize important truths and wrap around them.

The planet matters. The pursuit of money above all else is harmful. Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not. I’ve been on a path of caring ever since, always with a dog at my side.

Best Dog Books: What advice would you give to aspiring writers?

Study the books you love closely. Write down what happens, how it affected you as you read it, and why that is the case. The more you know about how books move us, the more you will understand how to translate your own stories into similarly moving tales. It can take a long time. This Old Dog took 18 years from idea to publication. It was worth it.

If you’d like to learn more about Martha Brockenbrough you can check out the author’s website  or follow the author on facebook  or twitter  or Instagram for lots of dog and cat pics.

Thank you, Martha, for joining us at Best Dog Books. We look forward to reading your book!

Best Dog Books is pleased to welcome Emma Smith. She is a children’s librarian and the author of 13 books for children. She specializes in narrative nonfiction picture books. Her first children’s book, Journey: Based on the True Story of OR7, the Most Famous Wolf in the West, won Bank Street College’s Cook Prize. Emma lives with her husband, their two kids, one cat, and one dog in San Francisco, California. 

Who is your key dog character and what kind of dog is he/she? Tell us a little more about him/her.

OR7 was a real-life wolf who, beginning in 2011, traveled from his home in northeastern Oregon all the way to California, finally settling in southwestern Oregon. He gained fame for being the first wild wolf in California in almost a century, and for contributing to the repopulation of wolves in this part of the country. He fathered many pups, some of whom went on to form packs of their own. Sadly, he is believed to have died this year.

Tell us about JOURNEY: BASED ON THE TRUE STORY OF OR7, THE MOST FAMOUS WOLF IN THE WEST. What’s it about? 

This picture book tells the true story of the famed wolf who spent almost three years traveling close to 2000 miles, becoming the first wild wolf in California in almost 100 years. In this book, I used alternating narrators—Journey the wolf, and a girl who follows his progress via the news and other forms of media.

I was thrilled that Journey won Bank Street College’s Cook Prize, as well as Northland College’s Sigurd Olson Nature Writing Award. It was also featured in the Huffington Post and on NPR

What inspired you to write this story?

This was my first published children’s book, and my first attempt at nonfiction (or fiction/nonfiction hybrid). When I heard about Journey in the news, I was captivated. Then when I read that he had, against all odds, succeeded in finding a mate in southwestern Oregon and fathering a litter of pups, I knew I had to try to write a book about him. What I love about this story is how it teaches that the human and the natural worlds can coexist. I like to think that Journey’s travails inspire empathy and compassion in young readers, as well as a respect for the natural world. It’s a conservation success story.

What was the biggest challenge you had writing your story? How did you overcome it?

The hardest part was getting inside Journey’s mind without anthropomorphizing. It was a struggle, for example, to suggest that he felt lonely without saying “He felt lonely.” I got around this with evocative language and by describing his body language.

I also had to imagine Journey’s exact actions during his travels. Because he wore a tracking collar, biologists knew his route, but not much else. I filled in the details—what animals he probably encountered, what he smelled, what he saw. (Because of this, the book is classified as fiction.)

What other books have you written? Do any of them feature a key dog character? If so, which ones? What are these stories about?

I have three picture books coming out this year, and one has a dog as the main character: Odin, Dog Hero of the Fires. Odin is the true story of a Great Pyrenees who survived the devastating 2017 wildfires in Northern California.

Claude: The True Story of a White Alligator tells the surprising backstory of the famous albino alligator at the California Academy of Sciences, in San Francisco.

And I’m very excited about my November release—The Pig War: How a Porcine Tragedy Taught England and America to Share. This historical picture book relates how in the 1800s the United States and Britain almost went to war when a farmer on a small Washington State island shot someone else’s pig.

I also managed to work my own dog, a golden retriever named Piper, into a chapter book that came out in 2019! (Escaping the Fire, the first of the Gavin McNally’s Year Off series from ABDO.)

What else would you like us to know about you or your story?

I’m really excited about an upcoming project—a picture book biography of Robert McCloskey. It focuses specifically on the making of Make Way for Ducklings, but people might also know him as the author-illustrator of books like Blueberries for Sal. (He was a dog lover, too! Penny the English setter was a character in One Morning in Maine.)

Can you remember the first book that made an impact on you? And why?

There were so many, but one that featured dogs was Lassie, Come Home. I loved that book and read it multiple times! I couldn’t get over how faithful Lassie was, and the depiction of her voyage home was the definition of a nail-biter! Now that I think of it, it may have taught me a lot about writing a compelling story, before I even knew I wanted to be a writer! (The Incredible Journey was another favorite, with similar characteristics.) 

Where can readers go to find out more information about you and/or your books?

You can find more information about my books and myself (including a picture of my dog!) at www.emmabsmith.com. I’m on Twitter at @emmablandsmith and Instagram at @emmasmithsf.

Readers can also feel free to email me directly: emmasmithsf@yahoo.com.

Thank you so much for having me on your blog, Annemarie!

For other great books about dogs, check out 101 Best Dog Books for Kids.

For published authors and unpublished authors, check out our writing contests.

Best Dog Books is thrilled to have Emma Smith join us. She is a children’s librarian and the author of 13 books for children. She specializes in narrative nonfiction picture books. Her first children’s book, Journey: Based on the True Story of OR7, the Most Famous Wolf in the West, won Bank Street College’s Cook Prize. Emma lives with her husband, their two kids, one cat, and one dog in San Francisco, California.

Who is your key dog character and what kind of dog is he/she? Tell us a little more about him/her.

Odin is a real Great Pyrenees who lives in Sonoma County, California. This breed of dog is very remarkable and considered the most dedicated of all guardian dogs. Although they are gentle and make great pets, their primary goal in life is to keep vulnerable animals safe from predators. Amazingly, they require almost no training to do this—it’s all instinct!

Tell us about ODIN, DOG HERO OF THE FIRES. What’s it about? 

This picture book tells the true story of a dog who survived the devastating 2017 Tubbs Fire in Northern California. When the wildfire threatened the Hendel family’s ranch, they had to flee in the middle of the night. Odin, who was guarding the family’s flock of eight pet goats, absolutely refused to budge. The family had no choice but to leave, in tears, sure they would never see Odin or their goats again. When they returned days later, their home was gone but Odin and the goats had survived, singed but alive. (Several orphaned baby deer had also joined the group for protection.)

I was thrilled at these words from School Library Journal: “A heartwarming tale of survival against all odds. Highly recommended for all school libraries, especially where dog books are in high demand.”

What inspired you to write this story?

I live near Sonoma and went through this scary time along with thousands of other people. I was glued to the TV, and when I saw something about Odin on the news, I immediately knew the dramatic story had the makings of a picture book. It felt good to find some hope and joy in what was otherwise a tragic situation.

What was the biggest challenge you had writing your story? How did you overcome it?

As is the case in many of my narrative nonfiction books, it’s always a challenge to try to get inside the mind of an animal character without over-anthropomorphizing. I wanted the book to be nonfiction, so I couldn’t have Odin talk, or even think or feel too much like a human. I also had to do some guesswork to figure out what exactly he did and where he took the goats to keep them safe. Luckily, his owner, Roland Tembo Hendel, was able to put clues together and determine Odin’s actions. My job was to dramatize them—without veering into fiction territory.

In addition, I had to be careful not to make the wildfire scenes too scary for young readers!

What other books have you written? Do any of them feature a key dog character? If so, which ones? What are these stories about?

My first picture book was about a real-life wolf, OR7 (Journey: Based on The True Story of OR7, the Most Famous Wolf in the West).

Also out this year is a nonfiction story about the albino alligator at the California Academy of Sciences (Claude: The True Story of a White Alligator). Writing about animals is a great way to talk about bigger topics with kids.

I’m very excited about my November 2020 release—The Pig War: How a Porcine Tragedy Taught England and America to Share. This historical picture book tells the comical story of how in the 1800s the United States and Britain almost went to war when a farmer on a small Washington State island shot someone else’s pig.

And I managed to work my own dog, a golden retriever named Piper, into a chapter book that came out in 2019! (Escaping the Fire, the first of the Gavin McNally’s Year Off series from ABDO.)

What else would you like us to know about you or your story?

I’m really excited about an upcoming project—a picture book biography of Robert McCloskey. It focuses specifically on the making of Make Way for Ducklings, but people might also know him as the author-illustrator of books like Blueberries for Sal. (He was a dog lover, too! Penny the English setter was a character in One Morning in Maine.)

Can you remember the first book that made an impact on you? And why?

There were so many, but one that featured dogs was Lassie, Come Home. I loved that book and read it multiple times! I couldn’t get over how faithful Lassie was, and the depiction of her voyage home was the definition of a nail-biter! Now that I think of it, it may have taught me a lot about writing a compelling story, before I even knew I wanted to be a writer! (The Incredible Journey was another favorite, with similar characteristics.)

Where can readers go to find out more information about you and/or your books?

You can find more information about my books and myself (including a picture of my dog!) at www.emmabsmith.com. I’m on Twitter at @emmablandsmith and Instagram at @emmasmithsf.

Readers can also feel free to email me directly: emmasmithsf@yahoo.com.

Thank you so much for having me on your blog, Annemarie!

For other great books about dogs, check out 101 Best Dog Books for Kids.

For published authors and unpublished authors, check out our writing contests.