On a cold, rainy night in the fall of 1888, a mutt wandered into the post office in Albany, New York, found a pile of bags, and fell asleep. So begins the amazing, mostly true story of a dog the postal workers named Owney. First, Owney helped deliver the mail in Albany, riding on the mail wagons. Then, he started hopping trains, guarding mail, and collecting depot tags as souvenirs for his collar. Before long, he had been across the country, in towns big and small, making friends everywhere. As the years passed, Owney received plenty of press; when he was eight years old, he was even given a trip on a steamship and went around the world. Today, his body (preserved after death by a taxidermist) is at the Smithsonian. Kudos to Kerby who, the author's note makes clear, did plenty of research for this kid-friendly history. Although there's only one full-size picture of Owney (on the cover), the ink-and-watercolor paintings, ranging from two-page spreads to vignettes, are varied and interesting.

Going back to contemporary sources, Kerby retraces the travels of a stray terrier who became the semi-official mascot of the U.N.EWSLUGS Postal Service in the 1890s and who, aboard ship and train, escorted mailbags to hundreds of destinations around the world. icks largely to facts—finding that accounts of how he got his name differ, she doesn't try to explain its origin, for instance—but does tuck in occasional invented details to smooth the narrative. Although the text notes that his preserved body is still on display at the U.S. Postal Museum in Washington, D.C., it neglects to mention that he met his end by violence. Ever alert and sporting a harness increasingly covered in tags attached at his many stopovers, the small dog makes an engaging centerpiece in Barasch's watercolor sketches. His tale has been told several times for younger audiences, most recently in Irene Kelly's A Small Dog's Big Life (2005); still, dog lovers will lap up this latest iteration. (photos, research note, sources) (Picture book/nonfiction. 7-9)

Gr 1-4 Using actual events involving a stray dog who found a home and career at the Albany, NY, Post Office in the late 1880s as her inspiration, Kerby gives children a fictionalized glimpse at a charming and capable canine. Readers will be captivated by Owney's journey from hungry and homeless to beloved guardian of the mail trains. The author does an excellent job of introducing readers to the late-19th century and the system used by the postal service to send mail both nationally and internationally via horse-pulled wagons, trains, and steamships. Children will be astounded at the number of tags on Owney's harness, demarking the stops he makes along the route. They will also find it interesting that the real-life Owney is preserved through taxidermy at the Smithsonian's National Postal Museum in Washington, DC. Barasch's ink and watercolor illustrations complement the narrative with period details. A pair of sepia-toned photographs at the end of the book adds to the authenticity of the tale. It is sure to develop a loyal following among lovers of dog stories. Maura Bresnahan, High Plain Elementary School, Andover, MA