Dog on a Train: The Special Delivery by Kate Prendergast
| Dog on a Train: The Special Delivery by Kate Prendergast | |
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| Category: For Sharing | |
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Reviewer: Sue Magee
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| Summary: A story told in great detail but without using a single word. It's a great story too and the artwork is brilliant. Highly recommended. | |
| Buy? Yes | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 24 | Date: October 2015 |
| Publisher: Old Barn Books | |
| External links: Author's website | |
| ISBN: 978-1910646083 | |
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It's one of those mornings for Boy: late out of bed he grabs at his hat and hurtles out of the house to catch his train - only he drops his hat as he goes through the door and Dog chases after him with the hat in his mouth. They head to the tube station (Dog doesn't forget to wait at the zebra crossing) with boy just twenty or so yards in front, but Dog is losing ground as he has to find someone to carry him on the escalator. He misses Boy's train and has to wait for the next one, but remembers his manners well enough to stand up so that an old lady can have his seat. Will he catch up with boy when he reaches London Kings Cross?
I took quite a lot of words to tell you most of that story, didn't I? Kate Prendergast does it without using a single one. Even the colours are restricted: each part of the story is told in monochrome with just the odd flash of red for Boy's shoes and the stripes on his hat, but don't worry - you'll have no problem in following what's happening.
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 on children because of this.
I know that I'm a sucker for dogs, but this is one gorgeous book and I'd like to thank the publishers for sending a copy to the Bookbag.
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.
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You can read more book reviews or buy Dog on a Train: The Special Delivery by Kate Prendergast at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
You can read more book reviews or buy Dog on a Train: The Special Delivery by Kate Prendergast at Amazon.com.
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