“Dogs and Cats” by Steve Jenkins.
Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, 2007, 40 pages, Grades 2-4.
Pets can be extremely comforting in a family. They provide companionship and a welcome relief to the stress and strain of everyday living.
The two most common pets are dogs and cats. The reason for this seems to be the compatibility of dogs and cats with humans. Dogs will wag their tails to welcome home people home after a hard day of work. Cats are quite different than dogs in that they seem to want people on their own terms. That means that when cats want to be petted, they will sit on your lap. However, when they do not want to have anything to do with people, cats will go to another part of the house. Steve Jenkins has written a very enjoyable book about both animals. He entitles the book: “Dogs and Cats.”
Frequently called “Man’s Best Friend,” dogs certainly like to be around people. They have many unique traits that make them desirable. First, they come in many sizes, shapes and colors. Second, dogs are adapted to different types of environments. Third, various dog breeds have different dispositions that make them more suitable for a wide variety of people. Some people want a large, guard dog.
A German Shepherd is clearly a type of dog that is capable of protecting a home. Someone else may want a hunting dog. There are many dog breeds for this activity, such as Brittany Spaniels, English Setters and German Shorthaired Pointers.
But one of the most common reasons people want dogs is for companionship. Almost any breed of dog will fill this bill. Jenkins shows many of the characteristics and traits of dogs when relating to other dogs and to people. The pictures are interesting and cute. I particularly like the picture of the puppies tussling about and the Dalmatian barking.
Then halfway through the book, it ends. It asks readers if they would like to also know about cats. If the answer is yes, you turn the book over and read it from the back.
The other half of the book talks about cats. Here we see various breeds of cats and learn about their physical characteristics. A simple, but thorough explanation of the eyes, whiskers, claws, tail and fur is given. Jenkins tells us that cats tend to have better hearing than dogs, but a less developed sense of smell.
Jenkins goes into detail explaining why cats tend to be loners. Whereas dogs like to hunt in packs, cats usually are solitary hunters. Since housecats are simply smaller descendants of wildcats, they have never developed a societal instinct like canines. Dogs tend to run over long distances like their ancient forebears, wolves, but cats hunt in a very different manner. They tend to creep up on prey and then pounce. This requires both patience and then bursts of speed. As a result, cats have developed very different physically and socially than dogs.
Do you have dogs or cats as family pets? Would you like to learn more about these two fascinating types of animals? If your answer is yes, then “Dogs and Cats” by Steve Jenkins is just the book for you. The pictures and descriptions of dogs and cats is very interesting. The pictures are fun to look at and the information about both species is thorough. The fact that you get to read the book forwards and backwards is just an added, enjoyable aspect. If you want an interesting read, go to the library and check out the fun book, “Dogs and Cats,” by Steve Jenkins. Enjoy!
