Humane Education is more than just teaching children to be kind to their pets. It's teaching them to do what they can to make the world a less violent place.

This is the message of Claude and Medea: The Hellburn Dogs by humane educator and president of the Institute for Humane Education, Zoe Weil. Claude and Medea are two children who attend the same school, but come from very different backgrounds. They share, however, a couple of things in common. They are both inspired by a substitute teacher, the very odd Mrs. Rattlebee, who comes to their school after their regular teacher is injured; and they're both moved to act upon that inspiration when they stumble across a dog-napping ring in Manhattan, where they both live.

This charming story for nine- to twelve-year-olds offers a case study in making connections between caring for animals and caring for people, and will introduce the issues of humane education to young people in an accessible and enjoyable way.

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