Book Trailer Premiere: Dog Days of History: The Incredible Story of Our Best Friends by Sarah Albee

Hi, Sarah Albee! Thank you for stopping by to share the book trailer for Dog Days of History: The Incredible Story of Our Best Friends. I know your daughter created the book trailer for Poison: Deadly Deed, Perilous Professions, and Murderous Medicines. Did she create the trailer for Dog Days of History?

Sarah Albee: She did. It was extremely providential to have spawned a child who can cast, direct, produce, edit, and compose music.

Please tell us about one of the images featured on Dog Days of History’s cover.

Sarah Albee: Can I talk about two? Because if you remove the dust jacket, you can see two cool images on the front and back case cover underneath. I love when designers do that, and Nat Geo let me help choose the pictures. 

What was one of the most surprising or interesting facts you learned while writing Dog Days of History?

Sarah Albee: Oh, Mr. Schu, I learned so many cool facts! But here’s one: Did you know that as recently as the mid-20th century, dogs kept as pets were a luxury enjoyed mostly by the wealthy? Ordinary people didn’t have time or space or money to care for a pet dog. Most dogs, like most people, were expected to work for a living. They herded and hunted for us. They guarded and protected us. They went to battle with us, and rescued us. They acted as bed-warmers, foot-warmers, lap-warmers, and poison tasters. And because people used to eat with their fingers (forks weren’t used regularly until the 1600s), dogs could also be handy stand-ins as table napkins.

OK, that was more than one fact. But we’ve known each other a long time, Mr. Schu. You knew I couldn’t stop at one.

Thank you for not stopping at one fact. :) 

Please finish these sentence starters:

Dogs have always been a part of my life. They have shown me what love looks like, and have taught me a thousand other things, big and small. I hope my kid readers are lucky enough to get to know and love a dog.

Alexander Hamilton: A Plan for America is a biography for young readers I wrote for the new HarperCollins I Can Read! History series. It comes out in July. And seeing the musical was of course part of my research.

Mr. Schu, you should have asked me what I’ve been reading. I’ve recently read these amazing books:

Life on Surtsey by Loree Griffin Burns

Can an Aardvark Bark? by Melissa Stewart

Like Vanessa by Tami Charles

Mary’s Monster by Lita Judge

Breakout by Kate Messner (coming out in June)

Look for Dog Days of History: The Incredible Story of OUR BEST FRIENDS on March 27, 2018.