My Life in Dog Years

Paulsen, G., & Paulsen, R.W. (1998). My life in dog years. New York, N.Y: Delacorte Press.

My Life in Dog Years contains stories about several of Paulsen's dogs. A few are sad, but even the sad ones can be funny. For instance, in "Dirk," Paulsen lives in a basement, surviving on what he can earn from setting pins at the bowling alley and selling newspapers in bars and trying to avoid having his money stolen by teenage thugs. This is a bleak background, but Paulsen tells the story with much vigor, and the descriptions of Dirk chasing away thugs are very funny. Other stories describe disastrous circumstances, but Paulsen seems to attract dogs that love him, at least two of which he characterizes as coming close to being "a live nuclear weapon," and a smart dog or two that were smarter than many humans. My Life in Dog Years is adventure in the wilderness, it is dogs, bears, skunks, pigs, gardens, and barns, and it often tugs at the heart, but mostly it is fun. The lingering impression from the book is happiness.

It is easy to discern why My Life in Dog Years is an example of informational literature. It provides the reader with factual material from which he or she might gain insightful information. The theme and style of this book also allows for the reader to conclude that yes, it is an informational book. I loved reading this book. It made me laugh and it made me cry. I also made text-to-self connections while reading My Life in Dog Years. I would highly recommend this book for any age group's perusal as it does not limit itself to one particular age.