Growing Up: The Dog Years

by John O'Neill

Kim Levin's documentary-style black-and-white photographs capture the pure essence of doghood in a way that dog lovers recognize and appreciate from the first instant they view her work. Like the most successful photojournalists, Levin's greatest gift is timing. Never posed or anthropomorphized, her subjects guide her process; she allows them to simply be themselves as she waits patiently for the perfect shot. Levin's photographs, complemented by thoughtful, concise text, have yielded a series of successful gift books and garnered her a loyal fan base. Her latest book honors the theme of growing up and the lifelong process of becoming oneself. Like Dogma, the book that preceded it, Growing Up ventures beyond celebrating the canine species to explore the kinship and commonalities between dogs and humanity. The candid style of the photographs and economy of the text make the comparison elegant, endearing, and poignant without relying on saccharine cuteness or sentimentality.Growing Up is Levin's third collaboration with her husband, writer-musician John O'Neill. It will be warmly greeted by an established audience of Bark & Smile fans and collectors, and will also appeal to animal lovers who are not yet familiar with the brand. Also, the theme of the book makes it a distinctive gift for a variety of milestone occasions, particularly birthdays.

128 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 2004

About the author

This is the disambiguation profile for otherwise unseparated authors publishing as "John O'Neill".