What a fabulous read! I didn’t stop laughing until
the end of the book and even then, my mouth retained a smile of satisfaction.
The text filled with alliteration and assonance, in
clever rhyme and galloping rhythm, sends the reader on a page-turning adventure
with Detective Dog Nell, ‘with her keen sense of smell’. Nell lives with her
untidy owner, six year-old Peter. He definitely needs her gift as he’s always
losing things, and Detective Dog Nell never disappoints.
Nell is happy to detect all days except Mondays. That’s
the day Peter puts on her lead and they go to his classroom. There, children
sit one at a time on the mat in the centre of the room and read to Nell. This
encourages even the most reluctant reader, to share a story with the smartest
Detective Dog.
It’s not only the reading Nell loves listening to.
The smells in the schoolroom give her nose a treat; especially the smell of
books. What a variety! Nell luxuriates in each individual aroma which the
different genres give off.
When the schoolroom books are stolen, who better to
track the book thief than Detective Dog Nell? She becomes a Pied Piper, with
teacher and children following behind in search and pursuit of the culprit.
Who is the book thief? Can Nell and Peter find an
alternate way for this strange book lover to satisfy his hunger for words?
Simply brilliant in every way, this number one
bestselling story deserves all the publicity it gets. It carries a theme that
will interest - reading to therapy dogs, which has gained popularity in many
schools. Children with poor literacy attitudes have shown a vast improvement
after undertaking reading programs of this kind.
Illustrator Sara Ogilvie breathes life into the
characters while their activities appear to spring from the page as they move
from one scene to the next. Meticulous facial expressions and body language
visually enhance the text, creating reels of images of the goings on.
This outstanding and humorous book is one that any
child will love and choose as their favourite. Previously published in
paperback, The Detective Dog is now
available in a ‘cased board book format’ which will introduce this clever
lovable character to a younger audience.
Title:
The Detective Dog
Author:
Julia Donaldson
Illustrator:
Sara Ogilvie
Publisher:
Macmillan Children’s Books
Publication
Date: January 2018, $14.99
Format:
Hardcover
ISBN:
9781509862542
For
ages: 2+
Type:
Board Book
