I Am Bunny: How a “Talking” Dog Taught Me Everything I Need to Know About Being Human

Devine debuts with a charming memoir about her relationship with her dog, Bunny, who’s gained a massive TikTok following thanks to her communication skills. “This is not a book about a talking dog,” Devine begins, careful to clarify that her adopted sheepadoodle communicates with her only through “assistive technology”—buttons on the ground that play recordings of words when pressed. Shortly after taking Bunny home, Devine placed an “outside” button by the door for the dog to press when she wanted to leave the house. From there, she gradually added new buttons to expand Bunny’s vocabulary. In essaylike chapters broken up by playful photographs of Devine and Bunny (plus illustrated sections about other notable figures in human-animal communication throughout history, including Koko the gorilla), Devine addresses criticisms she’s faced online (“Just let her be a dog. She doesn’t ever seem happy”; Devine insists that Bunny’s reward is “feeling connected and understood”) and shares how her experiments with Bunny have “allowed me to examine the ways I communicate with the world, and also with myself.” The result is a quirky account of self-discovery and a lighthearted testament to the power of human-animal bonds. Photos. Agent: Ryan D. Fischer-Harbage, Fischer-Harbage Agency. (Nov.)