Waggit's Tale

He is nameless. He is homeless. He is lost.

Until he is found . . . by a team of mutts who shelter him and teach him how to survive the wilds of the city park.

And so he becomes Waggit, the best hunter and tracker in the pack.

But life in the park is dangerous and uncertain. In winter, food and warmth are scarce. Another team of wild dogs is a constant menace. And there is always the fear of capture by park rangers. Waggit can't help feeling that something is missing . . . something warm and cozy . . . and human. Then one day everything changes and Waggit must face a new threat and a new choice.

Peter Howe's tale of an abandoned puppy's search for home is an exciting mix of humor, adventure, and suspense. Most of all, it is a story of how love can turn strangers into family.

Publishers Weekly

Photographer Howe's first novel, based on his rescue of an abandoned dog in 1981, is a coming-of-age tale told from the canine perspective, with ample anthropomorphizing. Believing he has been separated from his owner, Waggit crisscrosses Central Park until he is befriended by Tazar, leader of a band of generally affable strays ("We are our own masters; we owe obedience to no one," Tazar sternly tells Waggit). Waggit's new "brothers and sisters" teach him survival skills that may make vegetarians squirm, and he contributes by trapping "scurries" and "hoppers" when winter descends and food becomes scarce. A battle with a rival pack and the ever-present threat of park rangers who take dogs to the Great Unknown provide tension-Waggit gets captured, but ultimately gains a new home and owner. Dog lovers (especially New Yorkers) will enjoy the knee-high view of the park and Howe's take on canine vernacular-it's not Central Park West but "Goldenside," and humans are "Uprights." (A glossary and birds'-eye-view map marking both geography and plot points are provided.) Howe doesn't sugarcoat the lives of homeless dogs, and readers will find themselves drawn into the struggles and triumphs of Waggit's found family. Ages 10-up. (July)

Peter Howe is the author of Waggit's Tale, which was his first book for children. He was born in London, lived in New York for more than thirty years, and currently resides in Connecticut with his wife and two dogs. He is a former New York Times Magazine and Life magazine picture editor, and he is the author of two books on photography: Shooting Under Fire and Paparazzi.