Beasts to Buddies!: How Cats and Dogs Became Our Friends

A new addition to the popular Big Ideas That Changed the World series, this entertaining nonfiction graphic novel from award winner Don Brown explores the fascinating science and history behind pets—from wild animals to our best friends

Beasts to Buddies tells the history of dogs and cats, an evolving journey through the ages, from the wild to the mild—narrated by Bummer and Lazarus, a couple of stray dogs who captured the hearts of San Franciscans in the 1860s.

Acclaimed author-illustrator Don Brown takes readers on a journey through history and around the world, from the evolution and taming of wolves 40,000-20,000 years ago, to the revered cats of ancient Egypt, to the birth of the barnyard, and to the present day, when pets are part of our families. Full of fascinating facts and key developments in the domestication of animals, Brown demonstrates the many ways that pets have shaped humankind, like protection, herding, and emotional support, and even saving lives.

A middle-grade graphic novel series perfect for the classroom, this full-color book includes a timeline, endnotes, and a bibliography.

Big Ideas That Changed the World is a graphic novel series that celebrates the hard-won succession of ideas that ultimately changed the world. Humor, drama, and art unite to tell the story of events, discoveries, and ingenuity over time that led humans to come up with a big idea and then make it come true.

More from the Big Ideas That Changed the World series: Rocket to the Moon! (#1) Machines That Think! (#2) A Shot in the Arm! (#3) We the People! (#4) All Charged Up! (#5) It’s About Time! (#6) Keep It Clean! (#7)

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E-bog: 20. oktober 2026