Troika Books ISBN 9781909991361 £6.99
A simple KS1 picture book telling the story of two dog friends, Dubbin and Todd, one of whom happens to go skateboarding rather than just for a walk. Todd struggles to keep up with his freewheeling friend especially as he is lugging around a bone. The story takes a sinister twist when Todd returns to his buried bone to find it stolen away by a dog who has been lurking in the shadows the whole journey. I must admit to not having noticed him on first reading but eagle eyed children may spot him hiding behind the bin, hidden in the bunting etc. It’s a bit like the sixth sense of books – you can’t believe you didn’t spot the signs. But every story needs a hero and in this one it’s Dubbin who rescues the bone and his friend ‘whirling along ,faster than feet down the street, nothing can beat Dubbin .… Dog on Wheels.’ The story is told in rhyme and features a growing list of places that they pass including ‘down the street, under the bridge, through the gate’ making it a link to simple geography and mapping skills or a study of a local area. The illustrations appear simple but are captivating with lots of extra detail to spot.
Jane Macleod