They’ve done it again. Those canine friendly Monks of New Skete have put together a classic for dog lovers of all ages and experience. Divine Canine: The Monks’ Way to a Happy Obedient Dog is one of those books we all need on our shelves.

Part obedience manual, part dog vignettes, the Divine Canine achieves something that many how-to books don’t; the stories are interesting and the photography grabs you to pull you into the text.

So how did the Monks achieve this feat? The book is laid out to address certain important questions about dog care and training. Along the way, they have intermixed stories of dogs that they have retrained or handled. There are also pictures of the training methods along with photos that make you go “awwww.”

The Divine Canine would be an excellent holiday present for the person who has just gotten their first dog. It would also be great for an old-timer who already admires these spiritual children of St. Francis of Assisi, the Monks of New Skete.

Looking for fun dog books for children? Check out Sassafras: The True Confessions of a Poodle Princess and Sassafras Goes to Hollywood by Lynn HIrschfield and Dena Fishbein. These two books are delightful children’s books about a one-of-a-kind pink poodle, Sassafras. Well-written with engaging artwork, most little girls in the 3 to 5-year-old range (though I think these could be fun for a slightly older girl depending on their reading skills) on your gift list will love them and the pink poodle princess.

In the first book, Sassafras the True Confessions of a Poodle Princess, our pink heroine goes from rags to riches to rags again before finding true love. In the second book, Sassie takes on Hollywood and a bad dog trainer.

Sassafras teaches some good lessons while being fun and entertaining. Sassie has to learn that sometimes all the primping and jewels she can wear are not worth as much as someone who loves her. She becomes an excellent role model to young girls who may be feeling the push to meet certain beauty requirements or get caught up in wanting material things over the more important emotional aspects of life.

I would have loved these books when I was young. Heck, I like them even though I am MUCH older than most of the readers. I can't wait to share these books with some little girls!

As I sit here in the North American Midwest with wind chills at or below 0 degrees Fahrenheit I can’t help but think about how nice a warm beach would feel about now. I can’t spend the time to get to the beach on a plane so I’m doing the next best thing; I pick up a copy of Jean Fogle’s Salty Dogs: A Book of Dogs at the Beach and let it take me away to a virtual vacation.

Salty Dogs is a fabulous photographic journey with insightful quotes joined to fun and touching pictures of cavorting dogs on the beach. You can almost taste the salt in the air and smell the seafoam on the dogs’ coats.

As I moved through the photos, it struck me that Salty Dogs would make an excellent daily devotional. The photos are so beautifully matched to the quotes from the famous that each set became a opportunity to meditate on the deeper meaning of both.

By the way, Fogle is furmom to Dogster Molly.

Whether you’re a collector of excellent photography, a lover of dog photos or simply in need of some mental rest and relaxation, Salty Dogs feels like a much needed day at the beach.

Honey, the Pit Bull in Charles de Lint’s urban fantasy Widdershins may be one of the strongest dog characters in recent literature. Honey, a Pit Bull who was released with her pack from a dogfighters’ chain and hell, has the ability to speak with some of the people with whom she feels an emotional connection. More importantly, she has the ability to speak to us. Honey is not the central character in Widdershins but she is the one who lives with me long after the last page is closed.

If you aren’t familiar with de Lint’s marvelous books set in the mythical Canadian city of Newford AND you like urban fantasy, then you are missing a real treat. De Lint is a master and this is a true masterpiece. I interviewed him some time back about his moving canid characters. Widdershins is about the supernatural and human relationships of fairies, Native American spirits and the humans who get caught in between.

But why am I reviewing this apparently non-dog book? Because it accomplishes what so many dog books attempt — it makes an amazing and moving connection between reader and dog. By tieing the horrible abuse of Honey to that of the sexual and physical abuse of human children, de Lint graphically and unequivocably breaks through the mental compartmentalization some humans maintain to avoid accepting that animal and human abuse are born of the same evil impulses.

Honey is not a human in dog form; Honey is completely canine. She is a dog who has been beaten, starved, and known every vile thing a human can do to a dog. Yet this survivor of the dogfight rings has risen beyond the pain to an understanding of life that few humans could claim. She has faced her fears and hatreds and learned to control them. She is the heroine who walks between the worlds of the dreamlands, and into our hearts.

As a writer of dog lit(erature) I hope de Lint lets Honey star in her own book! She is a shining star of wisdom and an unforgettable character of any species!