Subtitled True Stories of Great American Dogs, this compilation will be a pleaser for dog lovers. Everyone should come to respect MAN'S BEST HERO. Renie Rule, the daughter of missionaries, as a child fed starving dogs in Brazil. Having provided a basic chapel to an Arkansas prison, Rule was granted permission to start a dog training scheme using rescue dogs from a local shelter. The inmates who volunteered had a changed life as they taught dogs to carry objects, read flashcards and obey commands. These dogs are now assistance dogs and companions to people who are disabled, or maimed by war. One lady left prison having graduated as a master trainer, and now lives a fulfilling life.

Patches, a collie/ malamute cross, inherited herding, problem solving, stubbornness and strength. He needed all of them when his owner fell into an ice-bound lake at night with two seriously injured legs. A stray Boston Terrier named Stubby, accompanied his solder friends from Yale to the trenches of France to join in the First World War. Having been mildly gassed by the noxious mustard gas, Stubby started warning his companions every time gas was being released, giving them time to don their gas masks. He also warned of incoming shells, sneak attack teams and other dangers, while the medical corps wanted to adopt him because he pinpointed wounded men for them and barked until aid arrived.

Terrorism produces other heroes. A guide dog named Roselle calmly led her owner and hundreds of panicking workers from the seventy-eighth floor of the World Trade Center through smoke, water, dust and pitch dark, to the street, and from there to shelter in a subway as the building collapsed.

An English Setter named Sadie became determined to drag her owner home after he suffered a heart attack in the woods. Again and again I was struck by the loyalty and reasoning shown by these animals as they did their best to help. From a Yorkshire Terrier in the thick of the fighting in New Guinea, to a therapy dog, and a film star who became a hero for real, the powerful stories are excellent dip-into reading and will delight readers of all ages.

Ace Collins has produced a tremendous variety in MAN'S BEST HERO and we can all learn a lesson or two from these wonderful canine heroes.