<DIV><p>Getting a dog can be a wonderful moment in a family&rsquo;s life&mdash;or the beginning of a bad situation for everyone. In <I>Are You Ready for Me? </I>engaging text and colorful, detail-filled pictures describe the responsibilities and joys of dog ownership in the lives of two children. A dog and a pup waiting to be chosen at an animal adoption center pose questions that show what it will mean to bring a dog into one&rsquo;s family.</p><p>The book&rsquo;s final page offers a We Are Ready to Have a Dog Contract with questions to check off; children and parents together will be able to decide whether they really are ready. A link to The Gryphon Press website offers bonuses, including a Ready for Dog Ownership Certificate and even an award certificate for children who are mature enough to realize that they and a dog are not a good match at this point in the child&rsquo;s life.</p><p> <I>Are You Ready for Me?</I> is a book that every dog-loving family will want to own. Parents and grandparents will enjoy giving the book as a delightful way to lead up to both the exhilarating moment of adoption and a lifetime of mutual happiness.</p><p> <b>Claire Buchwald</b>, author of four children&rsquo;s picture books, including <I>Max Talks to Me </I>(The Gryphon Press, 2007), has a PhD in communications and works to promote children&rsquo;s creativity.</p><p>Artist <b>Amelia Hanson</b> has illustrated twenty previous titles, including <I>At the Dog Park with Sam and Lucy</I> (The Gryphon Press, 2006).</p></DIV>