I typically shy away from books about animals as they often make me cry. As I had learned of this book in a science writers group I'm in, I figure it wouldn't really be sad since it was more about the science of scent and how dogs use the sense of smell. And I can tell you now that there isn't any sad stuff about the dog in this book. It is quite an interesting book, in fact.

The subtitle to What the Dog Knows is Scent, Science, and the Amazing Ways Dogs Perceive the World. Therefore, I was expecting a heavily science-based piece of nonfiction that would not be as technical as it would be for adult readers (given that this is the young reader edition). What I wasn't expecting was a memoir with science, history, geography, geology, law enforcement, and animal behavior thrown in. Once I shifted my expectation slightly, I thoroughly enjoyed Warren's journey training a German Shepherd cadaver dog.

Young Reader can encompass a large age range from children to middle grades and even into younger teens so I wasn't sure what age group it was targeting when I started the book. Even after reading the book, I still wasn't sure. According to the Amazon listing, the book is meant for grades 3rd - 7th (or ages 8 - 12).

It definitely didn't delve too deeply into the science, though as Warren points out scientists themselves still don't fully understand how a dog's sense of smell works. The level of information is appropriate for a middle grades book.

While I don't read much in the way of children's and middle grades literature, I usually know when I'm reading a book target at that age group because of the reading level of the text. In What a Dog Knows, I felt the reading level was higher than most books geared to children and middle grades. I thought it was more along the lines of a young adult book. So I think even teens will enjoy reading this book.

There was a variety of fascinating facts and information shared around the backdrop of Warren learning to train her dog to be a cadaver dog. She mentions other scent dogs, such as protective, tracking, and drug- and bomb-detecting dogs. If you have a kid that is interesting in knowing what it takes to train a high-level working dog, then you should get them this book. She also looks at not only the science behind scent, but also research in this area. Like when they tried to train vultures to find cadavers or tried to make an enemy detection device using insects that sense blood.

She also delves into other areas surrounding training a cadaver dog, such as working with law enforcement. My niece is in the processing of applying for college and the topic of our conversations often is about careers. I thought that this could be an interesting book to explore a career in forensic science, law enforcement, or animal training.

When Warren mentioned this book in the writers' group, my first thought was that this book would be of interest to parents who homeschool. After reading, I'm confident this is true. I could see several lessons in various subjects that could be built around this book.

As a bonus, I think the book would be equally enjoyed by adults and kids. So why not make it a family read along?

Review will be published at Girl Who Reads on Wednesday, October 9 at 11:00 am EDT - https://www.girl-who-reads.com/2019/10/what-dog-knows-young-reader-edition-by.html

What the Dog Knows Young Readers Edition: Scent, Science, and the Amazing Ways Dogs Perceive the World by Cat Warren is currently scheduled for release on October 8 2019. In this young readers edition of the New York Times bestseller, Cat Warren and her canine companion, Solo, teach readers that the nose knows no bounds when it comes to working together, being persistent, and helping others. Solo has a fine nose and knows how to use it, but he’s only one of many thousands of scent-detection dogs all over the United States. That’s a group that includes cadaver dogs, tracking, trailing, and apprehension dogs; dogs that can locate unmarked graves of Civil War soldiers; and even dogs that can find drowning victims more than two hundred feet below the surface of a lake. All these dogs love to use their noses. They think their job is simply the best, most interesting game they’ve ever played! What good working dogs can do may seem magical or mysterious, but What the Dog Knows shows the science, the rigorous training, and the skilled handling that underlie these amazing abilities.

What the Dog Knows Young Readers Edition is a book that interested me on a scientific standpoint, but I have to admit that the very beginning made me very sad. Solo was not a rescue- rather from a breeder. His poor mother had already had over 20 litters and no mention was made of letting the poor momma rest after having this litter of one- although letter she is referred to as young.. I am not saying that all breeders are necessarily bad, this one is labeled as a reputable breeder and the descriptions of some of the things she did for the dogs sounded wonderful, but my heart broke for the momma dog- and for the dogs losing their lives in shelters every year. The authors description of what she wanted from a dog also sounded like it could have been fulfilled by many different types of dog- aside from the bonus idea of winning in the obedience ring. I also found the expectations she had for the new puppy to be a bit selfish and naive. I will get off my soap box now and get on with the rest of the book.

Once I got past that initial set up, I found the research into the science of olfactory nerves, the history of cadaver dogs, and the training methods to be very interesting. I found the informational parts of the book to be thoughtful, well researched, and accessible. Reading about working dogs, how they work and train, and why they are good at what they do was engaging and interesting. It was only when the book verged into the author's wants and issues that I would catch myself skimming instead of reading. I think it is more because of our difference in opinion on why and how add an animal into a family, rather than anything else. It is a personality conflict, which does say something about how well she infused the story with her own voice and personality- which is something not everyone can do well. I would have liked to see some further information in the endpages- suggestions for further reading, resources for those interested in training or working with dogs, and so on.

What the Dog Knows Young Readers Edition is an well researched book, and would be a good read for middle grade and older readers that are interesting in working dogs and everything about them.

Thanks Netgalley for giving this book to read and review. I think this a great book and stories about dogs from pretty much anywhere.. This is an excellent book for a young reader in your home.