Great Books for the Pet Parent on Your Holiday List
PetSmart
- Cathy Sigmon / PetSmart
June 2, 2009
Are you struggling with holiday gift ideas for the hard-to-buy-for Pet Parent on your list? Give the gift that keeps on giving like books about their favorite pets to amuse, educate and entertain. Here are some recommendations:
Test Your Dog's IQ and Test Your Cat's Personality (Sourcebooks, Inc., $5.95). Interactive, fun games and questions assess what you never knew about your best friend! Dogs can be measured by alertness, adaptability, memory, physical intelligence and sensory perception. Cats are evaluated on energy, communication, empathy, friendliness and adaptability.
Good Friends are Hard to Find and Love Puppies: My Heart Belongs to You (Sellers Publishing, $9.95) are two adorable (and we don't use that term lightly) mini-books with delightful photographs of puppies, kittens and a bunny or two, along with quotations from a variety of sources. Sweets for the sweet (and no calories!).
On an entirely different note, Uncle John's Bathroom Reader has produced Dog Lover's Companion and Cat Lover's Companion ($12.95 each). Offering inspirational "tails" and amusing "doggone" stories, both of these edifying compilations provide great entertainment for the pet-lover.
Give 50 Games to Play with your Dog or 50 Games to Play with your Cat (TFH Publications, $13.95 each) a whirl! Doggie games including creative ways to use store-bought toys and tips for exercising with your pal (great for post-holiday toning for you and your pet--not that we're hinting). Find inventive places to hide catnip or create an exercise course for the feline playmate--guaranteed to provide hours of new year fun!
Do you know someone who is considering a new dog? Try What Dog? A Guide to Help New Owners Select the Right Breed for Their Lifestyle (Barron's, $14.99). Prospective cocker spaniel or shih tzu owners should know that grooming is a major commitment; beagles tend to become overweight; dalmatians need training and lots of exercise;and schnauzers like the sound of their own voices (in other words, they bark...and bark...and bark).
Written by a world-class dog trick show performer and trainer, 101 Dog Tricks: Step-by-Step Activities to Engage, Challenge and Bond with Your Dog (Quarry Books, $17.99) is fun and entertaining for the aspiring trickster. Complex tricks are broken down into smaller, easier-to-learn skills, and hundreds of photographs demonstrate training techniques.
Give a story of life and love with the world's worst dog: Marley & Me is available in a beautiful red cloth gift edition (William Morrow, $29.95). For those yet to become acquainted with the hilarious and touching story of the incorrigible dog named Marley--or those anticipating the film version opening on Christmas Day--this is a memorable gift.
Let's not forget the youngest readers on Santa's list:
The board book Tails are not for Pulling is an instructive and enjoyable way to help very young children learn gentle treatment of pets (Free Spirit Publishing, $7.95). "Fur is for petting, backs are for scratching, noses are for nuzzling...and tails are not for pulling!" Simple words and colorful illustrations encourage careful handling, awareness and respect.
Finally, Marley is back again with Bad Dog, Marley (HarperCollins Publishers, $17.99). Children will enjoy Marley's many adventures and the amazing havoc a naughty puppy can cause in this illustrated picture book inspired by Marley & Me. This heartwarming story shows that loving someone, flaws and all, can reap huge rewards.
Happy holidays to all, and to all a good book!
Find these and other titles at your local PetSmart!
Submitted by PetSmart on Tue, 06/02/2009 - 09:37
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