Paradise Found

A delightful cover, and an intriguing title. What lies in store? This is a dog's journey through farmland, beach, seaside, town and moorland, in search of his mate, who has mysteriously disappeared. Following his nose and canine sense Albie comes across some entertaining characters, including Owain the irate butcher and a friendly fireman on the mountain railway. Perhaps less realistic and satisfying to the reader is his encounter, in a convenient cave, with Gwendolyn, a kind dragon who gives him a clue (in an unexpected rhyme) that Nellie, his mate, is in fact back at the farm. So she is, nursing six puppies in the barn. Maybe Albie didn't use his sense. He should have smelt that fact out early in the story. The language used is descriptive and creative, with some lovely detail about the farmland, the high street shops and the old railway line with its green steam locomotive. These descriptions frequently echo the bold, colourful illustrations, almost primitive in their design and execution. There is a lot here for the companion adult reader to discuss with a child listener. Indeed, this would probably be the most effective way to use this book. Care needs to be taken when actually reading the text. There are a considerable number of errors in punctuation and sentence structure, which tripped me up! The text is quite dense, and the narrative quite detailed, with a lot on each page. Is it in fact a picture book with text, or an adventure story with great pictures? Is the target market carefully defined? There is some tricky vocabulary too - 'absolutely irresistible' and 'synchronised gasp', for instance, appearing within five lines. These features could dissuade the casual browser or newly independent reader from tackling the book which would be a pity, for Albie's journey to Paradise is a road worth taking, and an enjoyable morning's escapade. One mystery remains: an explanation of the book's title. Nowhere is reference actually made to Paradise. A child reader might well remain confused and be asking what or where is Paradise. Of course he or she may already be in the know - that another John Milton wrote Paradise Lost, way back in 1667! -- Chris Stephens @ www.gwales.com