Alaska's Dog Heroes

Who doesn’t love a good dog story – especially when it’s true? Alaska’s Dog Heroes: True Stories of Remarkable Canines, a new picture book by Shelley Gill, gives readers glimpses into the lives of nineteen memorable dogs from Alaska.

Each of the fourteen brief profiles, beautifully illustrated by Robin James, shows the featured dog (or dogs) on one full page, with a facing page of text. With just one exception the scenes are snowscapes; all but five of the heroes are sled dogs. Both art and text convey the important role dogs have played in Alaska’s history as a means of transportation and the role they continue to play in winter recreation, the sport of sled dog racing, and search and rescue.

As the book notes, Shelley Gill was one of the first women to complete the Iditarod sled dog race. She’s also written many books for children about a wide variety of topics. Her subjects here range in time from 1880 to contemporary working dogs, although the stories are not arranged chronologically. Rescue dogs, as well as a pair of “dog detectives” being trained to sniff out oil spills beneath the sea ice, make it clear that dog heroes are still among us.

Portrait of Tekla.

Readers will likely be attracted to the book first for its illustrations and then drawn into the stories to learn more about the dogs they see. The concise text packs a lot of information into compact entries. It may be shared as a read-aloud for children as young as five or six, but adult explanation will be needed. The book is best suited for seven to ten-year-olds. A Teacher’s Guide in the back includes activities aligned with Common Core Standards for Second and Third Grade, although the reading level appears to be considerably higher than that. Some adult participation may be needed to help kids navigate through vocabulary challenges and unfamiliar references.

While the focus is always on the dogs, references to Alaska’s history, environment, and people will pique readers' interest for more information. Most of the dogs featured have been written about at greater length elsewhere, and in primary sources. A list of references for further reading would be a welcome addition for teachers, librarians, and curious readers.

Dugan in action.

Additional clarification of some terms and phrases would also be helpful. For instance, “native paddlers” in the story about Stikeen and "fastest musher in Alaska" in the entry about Togo would be better understood by the book’s intended audience with a few more details explaining the cultural and historical contexts. 

These suggestions aside, Alaska’s Dog Heroes is a beautifully illustrated introduction to some of Alaska’s best canine friends.

Ordinary Dogs, Unusual Stories

Lots of people love dogs. Few of them, however, devote as much time, energy, thought, and affection to their canine friends as does Pam Flowers, author of a new book titled Ordinary Dogs, Extraordinary Friendships: Stories of Loyalty, Courage, and Compassion published by Alaska Northwest Books. This 144-page book for upper-elementary aged children (and dog lovers of any age) contains eleven short stories from Pam’s decades of friendship with numerous pets and working sled dogs. Each story relates the personality and behavior of her dogs to human situations and character traits in a relaxed, first-person voice that is both instructive and interesting.

As a former school librarian, I’ve read countless well-intentioned stories for children, written to teach them valuable lessons about life and how to behave. With few exceptions, they are dull and forgettable. I’m pleased to report that Pam’s tales are neither. Who can forget a true story about a curious polar bear accidentally driving Pam’s dog team? Or details like this: “Over the breeze came the faint smell of corn chips. In the pure Arctic air, untainted by other odors, that’s what my team smells like.”

 From "The Iditarod -- Teamwork Below Zero"

In the story “Good-Bye, My Friend,” Pam admits, “I’ve always been pretty sappy when it comes to dogs…every dog I ever knew easily won a place in my heart.” Pam’s relationships with her dogs are grounded not only in sentiment, but in the realities of their shared challenges and outdoor adventures. These true stories of mutual respect, affection, teamwork, and loyalty are genuinely heartwarming. One of those realities is the death of a canine friend, a subject often glossed over in nonfiction for children because it’s hard to talk about. Pam writes about it here with grace and honesty.

 From "The Bully"

Each chapter is illustrated with a line drawing, as well as spot illustrations, by Jason Baskin. The simple drawings capture the energy of the dogs and emotional essence of their situations. A glossary defines terms used in dog mushing and the Arctic.

Full disclosure: Pam and I co-wrote two books together, Alone Across the Arctic and Big-Enough Anna. Since then Pam has gone on to write several books for children: Ellie’s Long Walk and Douggie: The Playful Pup Who Became a Sled Dog Hero. Pam lives in Talkeetna, Alaska. For more information about Pam Flowers, visit www.pamflowers.com.

Sled Dogs and Their Humans

The third book I rediscovered this Iditarod season, Wind-Wild Dog by Barbara Joose, isn’t about the Iditarod at all. This tender tale portrays the relationship between a dog musher and a dog that must choose between following its wild nature and staying with the man. Evocative illustrations by Kate Kiesler extend the text to create a beautiful picture book story that explores human-canine relationships, as well as the capacity for wildness we share, in terms that even young children can understand. The soft oil paintings are spare, using body language and focus to express emotional drama. Joose includes a note at the end that provides information about Alaska, dog mushing terms, sled dogs, and other related topics. Although this book also runs long at 40 pages, the text is compact, making it a great read-aloud. For ages 4-8 or dog lovers of any age.

Heroes, Human and Canine

     The Iditarod is exciting and challenging, a world-class outdoor competition. No doubt about it. But what sets the Iditarod apart from other dog mushing races is its history. Every year, the race reminds us of the heroic 1925 endeavor that brought life-saving serum by dog team to an isolated Alaska community in the throes of a deadly diphtheria epidemic.

     The Great Serum Race: Blazing the Iditarod Trail by Debbie Miller, illustrated by Jon Van Zyle (who has also run the race and creates the official Iditarod posters every year), is a factual and moving account of that historic struggle. The tragedy unfolding as diphtheria breaks out in Nome is juxtaposed with the struggles of the mushers and their dogs to relay the vials of precious serum through raging blizzards and 40-below-zero temperatures. Accurate research combines with narrative storytelling that avoids romanticizing this inherently dramatic true tale. At 40 pages, The Great Serum Race reads well out loud with students between ages seven and ten, or on their own for ten-to-twelve-year-olds. A map shows the route traveled by the serum relay teams; notes at the back list all 20 mushers, the distances they covered, and the contributions of the dogs.

Diamond Willow

In general, I am not a fan of novels in verse. To me the continual line breaks get annoying. I tend to complain: Just get on with the story! And the voice, which is so integral to both poetry and fiction, often seems to wear thin.


That said, I’m a big fan of Diamond Willow, a novel by Helen Frost that is written primarily in shape poems. The story is about a 12-year-old part-Athabascan girl struggling to find her sense of self. She lives in a fictional Bush village in Alaska. The voice is authentic, an almost painful reminder of what it feels like to be a young girl on the cusp of adolescence. The plot is powerful on an emotional level, as a family secret unfolds and issues of friendship and relationships are examined. It is also an adventure story, as Willow survives a blizzard and serious outdoor challenges while dog mushing. And if that isn’t enough, it’s a terrific dog story, as well.

Throughout the story, Willow speaks in shape poems, most often diamonds.

These are not highly structured poems in the traditional sense, which is probably why they work as narrative prose. But look more closely: do you see the words in bold? Each poem contains some. Like a secret message, they summarize the theme of that poem, underscoring Willow’s emotions on that page.


A gimmick? Well, maybe. But it’s nifty and innovative. And it works.


Other characters also talk to us throughout the story. Their voices appear in standard line format, which helps the reader shift from one point of view to another. But even their contributions to the story have a twist: they are all animals, some representing the spirit of Willow’s relatives who have died.


All in all, it’s a great read. It reminds me a little of Stone Fox, both in terms of subject matter (love of family, dog sledding, struggling to find one’s way) and emotional impact. The story is more complex -- its intended audience is older, I’d say 5th to 7th grades – and the main character is a girl. But in both stories that special love of a child for a dog shines through.