UNCLE BORIS IN THE YUKON AND OTHER SHAGGY DOG STORIES

Pinkwater, author of children's books (The Hoboken Chicken Emergency; Lizard Music) and a commentator on NPR's All Things Considered, delivers a witty rumination on his experiences with dogs. Uncle Boris, one of the many colorful and dysfunctional adults of Pinkwater's childhood, gave his parents a Pekingese named Bobby shortly before the author's birth. Uncle Boris made a living selling fake purebreds and assured Pinkwater's father that "a dog lik dis is all deh rage in deh best parts of Brooklyn." Bobby's sole redeeming feature was that he appointed himself the new baby's guardian, thus protecting Pinkwater from his "precivilized" parents. Also featured here are other family pets, such as the asthmatic terrier Bootsie and Pedro the psychotic parrot. After Pinkwater married, he and his wife Jill (who has illustrated a number of Pinkwater's books) began acquiring malamutes; as a result of the training challenges that ensued, they established themselves as experts who taught people "how to better enjoy dogs." They published what they learned in the 1977 book, Superpuppy, but even this latest volume contains a few tricks of the trade. From anecdotes about an aging wolf named Matilda to reflections on how dogs have shown him "a lot about how it's possible to live this life," Pinkwater's light and extremely entertaining read will please animal lovers of all stripes. Drawings by the author. (Nov.)