The Canine Connection

Publishers Weekly

Hearne (Eliza's Dog) hits her stride in a dozen, mostly finely crafted stories that explore the bonds that people may forge with dogs. The author lavishes a talent for characterization on her human and animal protagonists alike, and she explores a spectrum of moods. Willa, the narrator of the first and wittiest entry, "Lab," loves strays of all sorts, and page by page she offhandedly introduces yet another member of her household menagerie: first Sinbad the Labrador retriever, then Lucy the duck (Sinbad's best friend), three abandoned kittens, a one-eyed, middle-aged mutt and, finally, an old wolfhound mix. Shrewdly, Hearne uses Willa's relationships with her adoptees to illuminate her turbulent relationship with her mother, who, like her daughter, is prodigally nurturing; in one pivotal moment, Willa and her mother are not speaking because "she was pregnant with Number Five and I had reminded her once too often of the ethics of overpopulation." The plot line, about Willa's role in delivering "Number Five," follows a familiar pattern, but this story, like others here, profits from its predictability, in this case because it enhances Willa's unconsciously ironic narration. Other tales are unabashedly out to warm readers' hearts, and one or two to break them. "Bones," for example, eloquently speaks of a child's bond with his dog as the dog completes the life cycle (there is a brief scene in an abortion clinic, though the woman leaves before consulting with a doctor). A few entries make points less convincingly (e.g., a street tough who adopts a pit bull in "The Boss" is no more master of his fate than is the dog) but nonetheless sympathetically. Dog lovers are certain to find something satisfying within this expert collection. Ages 10-14. (Mar.) Copyright 2003 Cahners Business Information.

Children's Literature

Twelve well-crafted stories give rewarding glimpses of the varied relationships human beings have with their dogs. A freezing dog is saved from an unheated cargo compartment on an airplane; a disabled boy reconnects with his estranged sister through a series of e-mails to dog lovers around the world; a garbage-sniffing dog saves the family's fortunes by discovering long-lost stock certificates in a sack of trash; an old dog lets his young owner know when it's time to say good-bye. The emotions engaged range from humor (what if there was a museum to document kindness to dogs, which dogs could enjoy, too? "When they get tired of looking at the exhibits, they can pee on them") to pathos, with several of the stories exploring the tortured landscape of death and grief. Each story is a small gem, offering a satisfying, just-right moment of closure at the end. Even non-dog-lovers may want to stop by the animal shelter on the way home, after reading this one. 2003, Margaret K. McElderry,
— Claudia Mills

School Library Journal

Gr 6-9-Dogs have a central part in these 12 stories, but they rarely occupy the spotlight. As in life, these canines take on a subordinate role, offering up their devotion. Several of the selections explore life situations in which a pet displays extraordinary companionship, intelligence, and instinct. In "Lab," Willa, 16, is fed up with her annoyingly big, happy family, plus another baby on the way. She strains at civility toward her fertile mother while she pampers her own brood of abandoned dogs, ducks, and kittens, until she's the only one around to help her mother give birth. Her witty sarcasm sparks this eventful journey. In "The Boss," a street kid adopts a canine guard as a shield against the world. It's a gritty read about an abused and needy boy teaming up with a similarly afflicted dog. Probably the most creative piece is "A Grave Situation." What begins as a typical retelling of an unbelievable animal trek across improbable odds shifts subtly into a poignant story of reconciliation. Beginning in narrative form, then changing to e-mail correspondence, this contrasting communication provides a perfect backdrop to a surprising and heartfelt story. Hearne doesn't load up on overly sentimental situations; instead, she creates empathetic realities. From hopeful and heartening to tragic and heartrending, these stories are well drawn, told with refinement, and enlivened with credible characters, both human and canine.-Alison Follos, North Country School, Lake Placid, NY Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

Dogs and peoples' lives intertwine in 12 short stories spun from Hearne's personal or peripheral experiences, in which the deepest emotional and physical struggles experienced by the protagonist are paralleled in the dog's outlook. The first story in the collection, "Lab," maintains this strong relationship wherein the protagonist, Willa, struggles with her maternal relationship until that one dark and dangerously stormy night, when mom gives birth just when the storm cuts off contact with the world. In the meantime, one-eyed Millie, Willa's beloved pet Labrador, watches over three newborn kittens whose mother has died. Dogs are not biologically meant to tend kittens, and Willa is no labor and delivery specialist, but they both learn and channel their efforts for the welfare of new life. In the next to the last story, "The Boss," wherein a brindled Staffordshire pit bull is as hungry to be free of capture as Sly is to evade the gangs in the city; neither gets far when home is not an option, making their future uncertain. Each of the 12 stories features a teen narrator, either first or third person omniscient, coming from different perspectives, voices, and pathos. Whether the telling is funny or poignant, uplifting or pitiful, each dog's emergence into the scene affects a change, promotes a hope, or signals a loss. The narrator's voices are captured perfectly, as each short story chimes to the rhythm and vocabulary best suited for the unique characters involved. Best of all, Hearne writes the concerns and challenges of teens as if each word came from their hearts. No dog-loving teen will want to miss the connection. (afterword) (Fiction. 10-14)