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.

Let’s welcome Marion Dane Bauer to Best Dog Books today! RUNT is written for the very young reader. When I first started the MFA program at the Vermont College of Fine Arts, everyone there raved at how well written RUNT was, as well as what  a good story it was. I must admit that I was a bit skeptical because at that time I was mostly reading young adult novels. Well was I wrong to have even an ounce of doubt! RUNT pulled me in from the very first page and kept me there until the last period. It isn’t often that I reread a book multiple times, but I have read RUNT many, many times and studied its plot structure. Wow! Did I learn a lot about plot in RUNT. It is so well structured that I use it in the writing courses I teach at UC Berkeley and Stanford. RUNT has been one of my favorite teachers and it’s no wonder. If you have ever heard Marion speak, she is logical in her thought process, as well as how she communicates her thinking. If you haven’t read this book for pleasure or with a critical eye, you are missing out.

Best Dog Books : RUNT was published in 2002 by Clarion Books for 4th to 6th grade reading levels.

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

Runt, not a dog but a wolf pup.  He is the runt of the litter and named as such by his father.  He spends his early days trying, and mostly failing, to win his father’s approval.

Best Dog Books: Tell us about RUNT. What’s it about? 

Runt is born, the last and smallest of his litter, in the forests of Minnesota.  He struggles to learn the ways of the wild alongside his brothers and sisters, but often makes mistakes, many of them serious. Feeling the displeasure of the other wolves, he withdraws more and more.  This is a story of the way he comes to find his place in the pack.

Starred reviews:

Publishers Weekly described the book as a “tightly plotted, swiftly paced tale”, while the School Library Journal called it “[b]eautifully written”. In a starred review, Booklist said it was a “compelling, poignant story” and that “Bauer precisely and vividly conveys the wolves’ wild world”.^[

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

I remembered my own love of animal stories as a child, especially Felix Salten’s fine books such as Bambi.  I remember reading his books with such intensity that, when I got to the last page, I almost cried because there was no more.  And I wanted to recreate something of that experience for my readers.  So I decided to work as he does, putting the animals in their natural setting, having them behave as they would in that setting, but, for the sake of developing the story, giving them speech.  I think this choice was the right one for this story, but later, when I considered writing a sequel and returned to my wolf research to prepare myself, I grew so fascinated by–and respectful of–the complex ways wolves really communicate with one another without human speech that I found I didn’t want to return to writing the same way.  I also felt respectful of what I had created the first time and didn’t want to take the risk of following it with a lesser effort.

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

First, learning deeply enough about wolves to present them living their own lives in a way that would be valid.  Second, trying to figure out where to draw the line between an animal’s consciousness and that of my readers’.  At times I found myself bogged down trying to describe the world through the eyes of someone who had no vocabulary for it, so something such as a fence could require endless description.  Or should I simply give it its name?

Best Dog Books: 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?

I have written many YA/MG books, but the only other that features a dog is my recent verse novel, Little Dog, Lost.  It’s about . . . well, the title says it.

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

Right now I am working on two novels.  I’m just finishing another verse novella, a young one called Patches.  (I’m looking for a better title.)  Patches is a calico cat who leaves home one bright autumn morning when she chases a leaf whirling in the wind and has adventures. The other is a Y/A, Blue-Eyed Wolf.  It is set in 1967-68 and deals with an 18-year-old boy who enlists and goes off to Vietnam, seen through the eyes of his 12-year-old sister, his 18-year-old girlfriend, and the mother of another boy who enlists with him. (Also through letters he writes home.)  Another important theme is the destruction of the wolves in northern Minnesota. (The reason I’ve ended up working on two novels at once is that I broke my arm falling on winter ice and had to turn to dictating through Dragon for a while.  I decided a verse novella was more conducive to dictation, so switched gears.)

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

Just that I was once Annemarie’s teacher at Vermont College of Fine Arts MFA program, and I am an admirer of her upcoming book, Lara’s Gift.

Best Dog Books: Thank you, Marion. That is very kind of you to say. Can you remember the first book that made an impact on you? And why?

There were so many it’s impossible to name one, but I’ve already mentioned the Felix Salten books.  I grew up in a very rural world, at the edge of a woods at the edge of a small town, and the natural world and any stories I could find about the natural world played an important part in my psyche.

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

I have a website and can be found on Facebook.  My blog, Just Thinking, comes out every Tuesday.

Thank you so much for joining us today at Best Dog Books today, Marion Dane Bauer. You are beloved by many. I’m proud to be among this community and one of your biggest fans. Thank you for all that you taught me and for working so closely with me on my critical thesis. I wish you continued success in all that you do, as well as good health.

Big, big hugs to you, Marion.

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.

I would like to welcome Laura Resau, one of my favorite authors for her poetic imagery and use of language.

AOB: Where is WHAT THE MOON SAW set?

Laura: Oaxaca, Mexico

AOB: Could you tell us about your story?

Laura: 14-year-old Clara Luna travels to Oaxaca, Mexico to visit the mysterious grandparents she’s never met before. In their remote village, she discovers a part of the world and a part of herself she never knew existed. (Ages 10 & up)

AOB: How are you connected to the setting of your story?

Laura: I lived in Oaxaca for two years as an English teacher and anthropologist.

AOB: What inspired you to write this story?

Laura: My experiences traveling and living abroad, and my relationships with my ESL (English as a Second Language) students and immigrants I’ve worked with and befriended.

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

Laura: This was my first book, and I wasn’t sure if it would ever get published.  It took me five years to write and revise, during which time my confidence wavered quite a bit.  The manuscript was rejected by eleven editors and agents and many tears were shed before I was offered a contract for the book.

AOB: What other YA/MG books have you written? Are any of them set outside of the United States? If so, which ones and where? What are these stories about?

Laura: All of my YA books are set mostly outside of the US. THE QUEEN OF WATER – a true story about child slavery— is set in the Ecuadorean Andes. RED GLASS—a road trip adventure — is set in an indigenous village in Oaxaca, Mexico as well as rural Guatemala.  THE INDIGO NOTEBOOK—first in a travel-mystery-romance trilogy– is set in Ecuador; THE RUBY NOTEBOOK, the second in the series, is set in southern France; THE JADE NOTEBOOK, the conclusion, is set in coastal Oaxaca, Mexico.

AOB: What kind of story can we expect next from you? Is it set outside of the United States? If so, where? And what is it about?

Laura: I’m now writing a YA novel that is partly set in the Lacandon Mayan jungle in southern Mexico.  It’s a fantastical adventure involving chocolate!

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

Laura: If you do read any of my books, you should check out my website and blog to read about the inspiration behind the books and see pics of places in the books.

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

Laura: I loved A WRINKLE IN TIME.  It made me think about the possibilities of the universe and existence and space and time in a whole new way.

Thank you for your time, Laura. I look forward to your next book!!

If there’s an author who’s written a YA/MG book that is set outside of the United States that you’d like to see interviewed on World Reads, please send me the name of the author and title.

Welcome to Best Dog Books, Laura! Be sure to check out Laura Resau’s website. She offers more detail about the story behind the story. You’ll find a link to her site at the end of this interview.

What is the title of your book?

Star in the Forest

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

Star is an abandoned dog who the main character, Zitlally, finds in a junkyard behind her house.  She comes to believe that Star is her dad’s spirit animal—that if she can keep Star safe, that her missing father will also come home safely.

Could you tell us about the plot of your story?

When eleven-year-old Zitlally’s father is deported to Mexico, she takes emotional refuge in her trailer park’s “forest” of rusted car parts. With the help of spunky neighbor Crystal, she tries to save her father by aiding a stray dog who she believes is her father’s spirit animal. (Ages 7 & up)

What inspired you to write this story?

It was inspired by a young reader who connected with the main character in my first book, WHAT THE MOON SAW.  This reader’s dad had recently been deported to Mexico, and she was trying to deal with how his absence had affected her family life.

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

As always, the biggest challenge for me is finding time to write.  There are so many distractions and demands that compete with writing time.  I was supposed to be writing another book that was under contract and deadline at the time I wrote STAR IN THE FOREST.  I had a very strong urge to write STAR, however, so I gave myself a few weeks to “play hooky” from working on the under-contract book.  I didn’t let myself make excuses or procrastinate or goof around.  I just wrote, and it flowed out!

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?

WHAT THE MOON SAW, RED GLASS, THE INDIGO NOTEBOOK, THE RUBY NOTEBOOK, THE JADE NOTEBOOK, THE QUEEN OF WATER.  Several of my books feature animals, including a talking parrot, an enormous leatherback  sea turtle, a French pigeon, a heroic jaguar… to name a few!  Most of the animals in my stories have some mystical or mythical qualities.  My books are mainly set in different cultures (in Mexico, Ecuador, Guatemala, and France), and involve travel, adventure, mystery, and romance.

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

The book I’m writing now is a young adult book with some fantastical elements.  It’s partly set in the Mayan jungle in southern Mexico.  There’s no dog in it yet, but there’s a lot of of chocolate!

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

Don’t worry—the dog doesn’t die!

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

I loved A WRINKLE IN TIME.  It made me think about the possibilities of the universe and existence and space and time in a whole new way.

Thank you for joining us again at Best Dog Books. I’m a huge fan of your writing.

To learn more about Laura Resau and her books, 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.

The Story of Edgar Sawtelle is the first novel by American author David Wroblewski. It became a New York Times Best Seller on June 29, 2008, and Oprah Winfrey chose it for her book club on September 19, 2008. Winfrey also included the book as one of the few tangible gifts in her recession-themed thrifty Oprah’s Favorite Things that year. This book is adult fiction.

From the publisher:

Born mute, speaking only in sign, Edgar Sawtelle leads an idyllic life with his parents on their farm in remote northern Wisconsin. For generations, the Sawtelles have raised and trained a fictional breed of dog whose remarkable gift for companionship is epitomized by Almondine, Edgar’s lifelong friend and ally. Edgar seems poised to carry on his family’s traditions, but when catastrophe strikes, he finds his once-peaceful home engulfed in turmoil.

Forced to flee into the vast wilderness lying beyond the Sawtelle farm, Edgar comes of age in the wild, fighting for his survival and that of the three yearling dogs who accompany him, until the day he is forced to choose between leaving forever or returning home to confront the mysteries he has left unsolved.

Filled with breathtaking scenes—the elemental north woods, the sweep of seasons, an iconic American barn, a fateful vision rendered in the falling rain—The Story of Edgar Sawtelle is a meditation on the limits of language and what lies beyond, a brilliantly inventive retelling of an ancient story, and an epic tale of devotion, betrayal, and courage in the American heartland.

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.