Titanic's Dogs Lost and Found

Although the Titanic story is well known, Titanic’s Dogs Lost and Found reveals a gripping tale of dogs in crisis that appeals to children and adults of all ages. This all-age juvenile picture book shows how five dogs scramble up from their kennels, jump on an overturned bed in the ocean, and finally reach the deck of the rescue ship. The writing is visual and sensual; the reader can see and feel everything that happened that awful night.

At 11:40 p.m. April 14, 1912, on its first voyage across the Atlantic, RMS Titanic struck an iceberg south of Newfoundland. Three hours later, the supposedly unsinkable ship — the largest passenger liner ever built — sank into the ocean. Of the 2,228 people on board, only 705 survived. There were many dogs on the Titanic. Every day, to the delight of passengers, the dogs were walked around the ship’s fantail. Unfortunately, the informal dog show planned for Monday, April 15, never happened. Combining fact and fiction, the author adds a surprising footnote to the Titanic’s history.

Helene Levene has bred, trained and exhibited dogs for more than 30 years. She is a retired school librarian and knows the stories that young people enjoy reading. “There were never enough Titanic books to satisfy the children, only a few middle grade fiction books and several non-fiction accounts.” Her writing credentials include numerous book reviews and instructional material evaluations, which appeared in School Library Journal.