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|author=Kate PredergastPrendergast

|videocover=Prendergast_Train|amazonukaznuk=<amazonuk>1910646083</amazonuk>|amazonusaznus=<amazonus>1910646083</amazonus>

Dog captured my heart as soon as I saw the book. Who could resist this gorgeous white animal (with a careful paw on his owner's hat) silhouetted against the interior of Kings Cross Station? There are forty -two drawings in the book - each one a joy to look at and with little details which you spot on a second reading. It's unusual to find an artist who is so good at capturing the live form - in this case , Dog and Boy - as well as the cityscape, but Prendergast is excellent in both areas. I was never in any doubt that we were looking at Kings Cross Station despite the fact that there are no signs, but that facade is iconic and it's captured in exquisite detail. Dog is not just 'a dog' either. Prendergast obviously knows dogs - she has the expressions and the stances perfectly and never hits a false note.

Children's picture books often worry me because it seems that there's a message to be delivered (''You WILL share your toys...'') and a story is created to 'carry' this message. ''Dog on a Train: The Special Delivery'' is in a different class. There are gentle, subtle nudges in the right direction - no matter what sort of a hurry you're in you always stop at the zebra crossing and wait for the traffic to stop / you shouldn't be sitting down on public transport if there's an older person standing up - but they're just ''part'' of the story and not the ''reason'' for it. I suspect that they'll have more impact with on children because of this.

For another gorgeous dog, have a look at [[Wake Up, Alfred! by David Ellwand]]. For a similar level of artwork, have a look at [[Counting Lions by Katie Cotton and Stephen Walton]].