This review is dedicated to Thea, Pax, Joanie, and Buster—some of P&P’s canine friends. We like having dogs around. Even the most diehard cat fans among us agree that it makes the workday a little easier to get through when there is a friendly (furry) face and a cold nose nearby. Dogs have a unique way of making us happy, even when we don’t want to be, even when we don’t think we can be happy. Maira Kalman got her dog Pete when her husband Tibor was dying. It seemed like a bad idea for someone who had always been afraid of dogs. But somewhere in a “remote part” of her brain, she knew a dog would help her family get through their tragedy. She was right, he did. Having Pete revealed a new world of unconditional love, humor, comfort, and fun that she had never known before. Beloved Dog (Penguin Press, $29.95) is Kalman’s tribute to Pete and to the dogs that she has drawn and written about throughout her career.
