Little Dog and the Summer Holiday
Little Dog and the Summer Holiday
Corinne Fenton
Robin Cowcher
Black Dog, 2017
32pp., hbk., RRP $A24.99
9781925381160
“The long, lazy days of summer holidays waited like parcels in a lucky dip” and under Little Dog’s supervision Jonathan and Annie are packing their shiny new caravan ready for the summer road trip! From Melbourne to Sydney and back there are many places to visit and things to see – crossing the Murray River into NSW, visiting the iconic Dog on the Tuckerbox five miles from Gundagai, battling Sydney traffic to cross the Harbour Bridge, swimming at Bondi Beach, taking the ferry to Manly… but when it all comes down to it, there is one place that Little Dog likes better than any other!.
While the text alone could be that of a story today, Robin Cowcher’s gentle watercolour illustrations take this story back to the late 50s when caravans were rounded and there were no New Year’s Eve fireworks on the harbour. Just as Little Dog and the Christmas Wish celebrated Melbourne, this new adventure celebrates Sydney. Road trips remain a popular way to holiday for many families – mine included – and readers will have fun comparing their experiences to those of Jonathan and Annie and Little Dog. Has anything really changed? If the story were written for 2018, what would be different?
The shape and inclusions may have changed, but has the fun?
A great story to share as students return from holidays and have their own stories to share.