Dogger: the much-loved children’s classic

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This is one of my all time favourite reads. I read this throughout my childhood and remember it fondly. Shirley began to write and draw her own picture books when her children were young. Her first book - Lucy and Tom's Day - was published in 1960, and she followed it with, among others, Dogger, and the Alfie series. Her books include the wordless picture book Up and Up, collection of rhymes and poems Out and About, and for the very young The Nursery Collection. a b c (Greenaway Winner 1977). Living Archive: Celebrating the Carnegie and Greenaway Winners. CILIP. Retrieved 2012-07-02. Another first in her career was being awarded the inaugural BookTrust Lifetime Achievement award in 2015 by a panel which included Sir Michael Morpurgo.

The school community is also a central theme to the story with Dogger lost when they go to collect Bella from school and found at the school summer fete. The summer fete features many activities that were common place when i was at school but when i recently read this story to a small group of year 1 children I found myself having to explain many of the activities that are illustrated. The fashion is different as well and it makes a good starting point with younger children to get them to think about whether the story is set in the past or present. They sat there without talking for quite a long while until it was time to go home. And neither Alfie nor Mum ever forgot that time and that place.'I was so happy to see this book on your 100 best books list. It was my favourite story as a child and I recently bought a new copy for my own children to enjoy. A tale of loss and also unexpected but pure sisterly love. Shirley Hughes manages to capture the simplicity and sincerity of a child’s love for his favourite toy through her narrative and illustrations; a love that many people can relate to. The conflict-resolution plot gives the perfect sense of catharsis for the child reader and turns this book into a must-read.

I loved the description of Dave’s attachment to Dogger as I think this is something that every child can relate to and I myself laughed out loud when Dogger had to be washed and hung out to dry. In 2017, asked about her inspiration for Dogger, she said: 'The inspiration behind it was another lost toy. We did look everywhere, but we never found it. (The actual) Dogger was a present to our son when he was two years old.

As with all of Shirley Hughes' books, the illustrations are intricate and beautiful with an authentic, homey feeling to them. They are accompanied by a lovely story which many children will be able to relate to, with a positive message of helping others. Radio Times columnist Jane Garvey put: 'So sorry to hear this - wonderful woman who brought joy and comfort to so many of us.' The above video may be from a third-party source. We accept no responsibility for any videos from third-party sources. Please let us know if the video is no longer working. Irish writer Jane Casey posted: 'The magical thing about Shirley Hughes was that she understood the specific solemnity of childhood and how large small adventures (like a leaking roof) can loom.

A fantastic book, I loved this story as a young child myself, i decided to buy it for my 3 year old daughter and she loves it! The illustrations are lovely, a perfect choice for any young child. Police chief admits 'we got it wrong' but claims there was 'no malicious intent' after officer was seen tearing down posters of Israeli hostages in Manchester Dave spends a lot of time searching for Dogger during this story. You and your child should take it in turns to set up a treasure hunt where you hide an item and have to give instructions / clues to help each other find what has been hidden. What about when he saw the little girl walking away with his teddy - how do you think he felt then? Expressed in few words, the realisation that Dogger has gone dawns slowly on Dave, which avoids the need for that dreaded word ‘Suddenly’. The slow realisation fosters more empathy, somehow:I love the way Shirley Hughes portrays family life and captures the things that really matter; a much loved soft toy called Dogger who belonged to Dave. Dogger is lost, but due to the kindness of his sister Bella, he finds his way home again. She wrote two novels for older children, Hero on a Bicycle, about a 13-year-old Italian boy during the occupation of Florence, and Whistling in the Dark, set during the Liverpool Blitz. Her memoir, A Life Drawing, was published in 2002.

Such a lovely story. Shirley Hughes books are always wonderful stories of everyday life which children can relate to.

Dogger is Dave’s special toy. He is soft, brown and worn in places, with one ear pointing up and the other flopping down. One day, after collecting his big sister Bella from school, watching the flags go up for the summer fair and enjoying ice-creams on the way home, Dave realises that Dogger is missing. The whole family searches for him, but Dogger is nowhere to be found. Dave is subdued when they visit the fair the following day, until remarkably he spots Dogger for sale on a toy stall. However, he is devasted when his beloved toy is sold to another child, but a selfless act of kindness from Bella ensures that all ends well.