Great Picture Books Featuring Man's Best Friend

In honor of the Westminster Kennel Club's 135th Dog Show (roughly 945 dog years), here's a list of some of my favorite picture books starring our lovable friends.

1. Best in Show: How could I not pick The Poky Little Puppy, the bestselling children's book of all-time. Sure, it had a headstart on the other contestants, seeing how it was published in 1942, but it remains a favorite among  children today. This adorable pooch repeatedly escape troubles until his siblings see that he gets caught in the end. What child hasn't gotten away with something for a little too long before getting caught with his hand in the cookie jar? A great book from Janette Lowery and the folks at Simon & Schuster.




2. Best of Breed: Clifford the Big Red Dog. I don't know what breed he is. Looks like an Irish Setter that swallowed a Saint Bernard, but he's certainly the best of his breed. Norman Bridwell's dog, star of the printed page and the small screen, is a giant among pups.

3. Biggest Litter: Go, Dog, Go. Dogs in cars. Dogs in trees. Dogs racing everywhere, and in crazy hats. P.D. Eastman found plenty of fun things for his cartooned canines to do in this energetic early reader.

4. Best Trick: Martha Speaks. It's a common trick. Teach your dog to speak. Maybe a deep woof or a high-pitched yap. But in this series, Martha speaks in complete sentences and is willing to explain the big words to you. Susan Meddaugh brings the joy of words and self-expression to little readers who hope they can teach their four-footed pals to "Speak!" like Martha.

5. Best Behaved: City Dog, Country Frog. Okay, so this picture book has more than just a dog, but City Dog learns a lot from Country Frog: friendship, fun, patience, loyalty. Great qualities for man's best friend, in real life or on the page. Intricate watercolors from John Muth really capture the simple words of Mo Willems, who takes a serious turn for a change.

6. Most Playful. How Rocket Learned to Read. Another book featuring interspecies friendship. Rocket is just that -- a ball of energy bursting to play, until an imaginative bird teaches him the joy of reading by creating stories around Rocket's adventures. When the bird flies south for the winter, Rocket learns to read on his own. Tad Hills' playful pup just might give your youngster the confidence to read on his own, too.

No surprise, there are just too many great dog books to name in a simple post -- Nick Bruel's Poor Puppy, Mark Teague's LaRue series, and on, and on. If you have a favorite, please add it below. But first... a bonus pic!

Johnny K, 8 months old & trying to figure out Clifford.

Hope to add my own to this list someday. Thanks for reading!