Book Title:  Little Lions, Bull Baiters & Hunting Hounds:  A History of Dog Breeds
Written and illustrated by:  Jeff Crosby and Shelley Ann Jackson
Publishing Company:  Tundra Books (www.tundrabooks.com )

Year:  March 11th 2008
# of Pages: 72
ISBN:  978-0-88776-815-6
$22.99 Canada
$19.95 U.S. 

5 Stars

Reviewer:  Deborah Ground Buckner (Kansas City Correspondent - USA)  

"A pack of gray wolves lurks in the dark forest.  The wolves watch a family of early humans cook and eat around a fire.  When the people are finished eating, they walk to the edge of the forest to dump their bones and scraps.  As they leave, the wolves move in to scavenge the leftovers.  A few curious pups move closer to the village to watch the primitive humans."  According to the authors of Little Lions, Bull Baiters & Hunting Hounds, this may be the way the unique friendship between humans and canines began.  The wolves who lived near humans found it a bit easier to locate food, and humans soon found wolves could adapt to become skilled workers and beloved companions.            

Little Lions, Bull Baiters & Hunting Hounds: A History of Dog Breeds is a beautiful book for dog lovers of all ages.  The book divides its presentation of dog breeds into the categories:  Hunting, Herding, Working and Companion, noting that this is likely the order in which the more than 400 dog breeds in existence today came to develop.  As humans evolved, so did the jobs available for canines, and they, too, evolved accordingly.   

For each breed, the authors provide beautiful color illustrations, a description of the characteristics of the breed and the time and place it likely originated.  Like Queen Elizabeth II, my family is besotted with Welsh Corgis, making that entry the first I examined in this book:  "'Tis said that long ago in the misty Welsh forest lived a kingdom of magical fairies.  Their queen and her fairy warriors needed steeds that could carry them o'er great distances, so they created an enchanted breed of little dogs.  One day while the queen was out riding, two of her pups ran into a field, where human farmers were working.  She did not go after them for she knew that her magical dogs would be a great help to the poor farmers.  The dogs learned to assist the farmers in many ways, as they still do today.  'Tis said that if you look carefully on the shoulders of a Corgi, you can still see the marks left by the wee fairy saddles."  Since, along with Tasha Tudor, I am well aware of the enchanted nature of Corgis, I can attest to the accuracy of the authors' statements.

Whatever your favorite breed, you are likely to be pleased with its rendering in these pages.  This book is a lovely way to introduce a child to the amazing variety of dog breeds and will foster many dreams of bringing home a puppy.