I am totally in love with this new series from National Geographic. Each book features a different working dog and, in simple language, explains what they do and how they are trained. The four titles I looked at featured dogs that work with the police, fire department, and as a therapy dog.Dolley, a perky golden lab with adorable ears, works with the fire department to detect arson. Dolley works with Captain Herndon to detect accelerants at fire scenes. Readers will see how Dolley is trained and practices regularly, and how she can detect scents at an actual scene. She also works as an educator with kids to teach them about fire safety. When her work is done, Dolley gets carefully bathed and cared for, then gets to go home with Captain Herndon and hang out with her family of dogs and people. Back matter has a brief interview with Captain Herndon, introduces his other dogs and son, and talks about what Dolley likes to do to relax. A page of safety tips from Dolley gives simple ways that kids and their families can practice fire safety.
Tiger, a Belgian Malinois, is a police dog in Washington D. C. He works with his human partner, Aida Rodriguez, to sniff out "dangerous things." I'm guessing this means he primarily detects bombs, but probably drugs too. The book takes the reader through a typical day with Tiger. After getting ready for the day, the officer and Tiger ride to the police station in a K-9 unit. They get their assignments for the day, then check a Metro car and a school. Tiger works with another dog and then with a robot to check other areas. His busy day done, Tiger goes home with Rodriguez and plays a game of fetch. In the back matter Officer Rodriguez answers questions about Tiger and her work as a police officer, then there is a page of safety tips like looking both ways before crossing a street, not petting working dogs, and knowing how to call 911.
Stella, a bloodhound, works with the state police and Trooper Enzo Diaz as a search and rescue dog. Today, she starts out by training at the police station, then goes on patrol. She and Trooper Diaz get a call and it's off to the rescue, in a helicopter. SHE HAS DOGGY GOGGLES. The doggy goggles kill me. Stella takes off through the woods, searching for a missing hiker. And, incidentally, creating the most awesome photo of the book and possibly the series, as she leaps over a fallen log and all her saggy skin goes in different directions. Stella finds the missing hiker and gets lots of appreciation from him and the rest of the state troopers back at the station. The interview at the back talks about how Stella likes to hang out at home with Diaz, his wife, baby, and other dog, and some of her quirks as well as Diaz' own work as a police trooper. There are more safety tips at the back, although some of these are random, like not keeping secrets from your parents. There are some about not getting lost and what to do if you get lost though.
Willow, a rescued greyhound, is a therapy dog. Along with her owner and trainer Megan, she does something different every day. An older man, Jim, is shown helping get Willow ready for the day and then she's off to a hospital with a large group of therapy dogs, to visit patients and staff. Next, she and Megan visit a school, where she cuddles with the kids to help them relax. She visits a home for retired veterans, and finally a library where the kids read to her. Her day finally over, Willow relaxes with her family of greyhounds, Jim and Megan, then gets into a cozy pair of pajamas for bedtime. Megan answers questions about Willow at the back and then there is a page of tips on being a "good friend and neighbor" including volunteering, listening to and respecting others, and donating things you don't use any more.Of these four books, Willow is probably the weakest title; I'm skeptical that they would do that many therapy appointments in one day and overall her training and life were not described very clearly. Some of the books, like Tiger's, went a bit overboard in trying not to get detailed about the dogs' work with crime. Stella probably has the best pictures! Overall, the whole series is awesome though. Lots of great photographs, clear, simple explanations of the dogs' work, and a diversity of trainers and people who work with them. The books are 8x8 and have large text and bold fonts. Although marketed as picture books, they would also work well as easy readers and because of their smaller size that's probably where I would place them. A fluent reader could easily follow the text with only a little help and kids are already familiar with the yellow spines of easy nonfiction by National Geographic in our library.
Verdict: A fun and informative new series; at least one new title is planned for next May, featuring a working farm dog, and I'm hoping for service dogs as well. The publisher's description suggests these to fans of the popular tv show Paw Patrol, but I think any kids who like dogs will be enthusiastic about these. Recommended.
Stella the search dog
ISBN: 9781426334504
Tiger the police dog
ISBN: 9781426332982
Dolley the fire dog
ISBN: 9781426333002
Willow the therapy dog
ISBN: 9781426334481
Published September 2019 by National Geographic Kids; Review copies provided by publisher; Donated to the library
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