Pukka: The Pup After Merle »

TED KERASOTE 's writing has appeared in more than fifty periodicals, including "Audubon, National Geographic Traveler, Outside, Field & Stream, Salon," and the "New York Times," His most recent book, "Out There: In the Wild in a Wired Age," won the National Outdoor Book Award. He lives in Wyoming.

Since the publication of the best-selling Merle’s Door, Ted Kerasote has received thousands of e-mails asking two questions: “Have you gotten another dog?” and “Are you writing a new book?” Pukka: The Pup After Merle answers both, in the most heartwarming way.

Told in Pukka’s charming voice and accompanied by more than 200 photos, Pukka: The Pup After Merle tells the story of how Ted found Pukka, recounting the early days of their bonding as they explore Kelly and the wider world. Walks become hikes and hikes become climbs, their adventures culminating in a rugged wilderness journey that teaches both Pukka and Ted something new about the dog-human partnership.

Filled with stunning images of the West, Pukka is a love story as well as Ted’s take on raising a puppy. It will do pictorially what Merle did with words—show how dogs thrive when treated as peers while illustrating the many ways that any dog opens the door to our hearts.

Library Journal

Fans of Kerasote's best-selling Merle's Door: Lessons from a Freethinking Dog often asked when and if the photographer, outdoorsman, and winner of the National Outdoor Book Award (for Out There: In the Wild in a Wired Age) would get a successor to Merle. Having worked through his grief, he finally felt ready to commit to another dog and located a breeder with a newborn puppy who reminded him of Merle. He named the pup Pukka, ("genuine" or "first-class" in Hindi). Writing as Pukka and illustrating the sparse text with stunning color photographs on every page, Kerasote has created a pictorial diary of the first six months of the dog's life. But this book is much more than a record of the growth and training of a pup; it is visual documentation of the development of a human-animal bond as well as a breathtakingly beautiful tour of the Western United States. VERDICT There are many audiences for this book—fans of Merle's Door, dog lovers of all ages, photography hobbyists, outdoor adventurers, and travel buffs. Demand will be fueled by the 13-city author tour and media attention.—Florence Scarinci, Nassau Community Coll. Lib., Garden City, NY