"Let's Get a Pup!"

 I have a wonderful cat called Ed.

I adopted him late last year from the local rescue centre, and I can tell you now - that was the best £50 I've ever spent! To be honest, he was a bit shabby when we met, so I'd be lying if I said it was love at first sight. But he was desperate for affection, and after only a moment or two, he’d won us over with his slightly desperate cat hugs. With Ed clinging around his neck, my son pleaded - "OH, Dada - we've GOT to have him…" 

The reality is, we went along to choose a cat - but Ed chose us. It was love at first hug!

My Story Worth Sharing this week features not a rescue cat, but rescue dogs: Let's Get a Pup! by Bob Graham (Walker Books 2001). Graham is a picture book hero of mine, and his stories were firm family favourites when the kids were young. Generally speaking, they are, as Graham himself once noted, "a light-hearted glimpse of the day-to-day activities of children, their families and dogs." And Pup! is no exception.

The story begins with a prelude - we learn that Kate's cat, Tiger, died last winter. 'The end of [Kate's] bed was a lonely place…' Now the summer sun streams through the bedroom windows, and Kate wakes up realizing that what they really need isn't another cat - but a dog!

Kate charges into her parent's bedroom and bounces off the bed. 

 

"Let's get a pup!" said Kate.

"What, a brand-new one?" said a now wide-awake Mum.

"With the wrapping still on?" added her breathless dad.

"Pups don't come wrapped," replied Kate.

"I know they don't," said Dad. "It's just a joke."

 

I love Graham's writing. It flows so naturally (which makes his stories great to read aloud). The gentle humour (often told through the illustrations alone) is deadpan.  

Kate's parents don't need much persuasion. Mum spreads the newspaper across the breakfast table and says, "LOOK!"

 

THE RESCUE CENTRE

The centre for dogs without a home

The centre for dogs all alone 

With their breakfast uneaten, they dressed and left immediately.

 

From Let's Get a Pup! by Bob Graham (Walker Books 2001) | Illustration © 2001 by Bob Graham | Used by permission of the publisher

 

At the Rescue Centre, they find a vast array of dogs: 'big dogs, small dogs, sniffers and sleepers, wire-haired, short-haired, scratchers and leapers.' Graham's work always reflects real life. So some of the cages contain doggy doo. The snarling occupant of another leaps at Kate's mum.

 

They saw smelly dogs, fat dogs,

Lean and mean dogs, chew-it-up-and-spit-it-out-at-you dogs,

And dogs like walking nightmares.

Then they saw…

Dave.

 

Dave is everything a pup should be - small, cute and overexcited. When Dave is let out of his cage to meet the family, he goes a bit mental. (For a moment, Kate 'briefly wore him like a hat.'!) In a word, Dave is irresistible.

 

"We'll take him," said Dad.

Then they saw… Rosy.

And she saw them.

 

Graham presents such a tender, believable moment. He loves dogs, and it shows. Describing Rosy as 'old and grey and broad as a table', he continues:

 

It was difficult for her to get to her feet, but she stood, it seemed, almost politely. Her eyes watered, her ears went back and she radiated Good Intention.

 

From Let's Get a Pup! by Bob Graham (Walker Books 2001) | Illustration © 2001 by Bob Graham | Used by permission of the publisher

 

But the family have made their choice. They wish old Rosy well. And with Dave in arms and ‘many a backward glance… they slowly walk away.'

At home, Dave trashes the place by day and cries all night long! Nobody gets any sleep - but it's not all Dave's fault. Everyone’s thinking about someone else - and come morning they know what they must do...

 

At the Rescue Centre Rosy was waiting for them.

"Let's get you home," said Dad.

 

Graham certainly knows how to pull those heartstrings!

Back home, they give Rosie a bath. She has a calming effect on everyone - including Dave! (I love the images of Kate sat with her feet up, using Rosy as a footrest!)

Children's Books Daily summarises Let's Get a Pup! perfectly -

 

It's a story of acceptance of the sometimes overlooked – the not so beautiful, not so youthful, not so clean.

 

Now extrapolate that message out, and you will gain a deeper understanding of the value of well-crafted picture books.

Graham's work has been described as subversive.

Let's Get a Pup!, for example, was criticised because Dad wears a tee shirt with the image of a match - first smouldering, then lit. (Apparently, some people saw it as a cigarette - or spliff.) Perhaps what critics find uncomfortable is what others - myself included - celebrate in Graham's work. His picture books stand out as being honest and truthful - a realistic reflection of society. In Pup!, Kate's parents are tattooed and pierced and rather scruffy. The family watch TV together on the sofa, surrounded by toys and clutter. Kids' drawings are stuck up on doors with sticky tape. A framed picture leans against the wall, waiting to be hung. Kate is shown sat on the toilet (with Dave tugging at her trouser leg!). These details speak volumes and together create a believable world that embraces and draws the reader in.

The Oxford Companion to Children's Literature praises Grahams for his soft watercolour illustrations that 'exude a warmth and understanding of [the] sometimes scruffy, yet loveable characters... Small touches … typify his settings, underlining the warmth of family relationships.'

 The following night, the dogs get to sleep beside Kate, just as she'd hoped.

The end of her bed is no longer a lonely place, and Graham concludes the story with a touching observation:

 

Kate puts her head on Rosy's stomach. She hears angry gurgles, squeaks and plops,

Lonely corkscrew sounds,

And the pump, pump, pump 

Of Rosy's heart, like a big hollow engine room.

 

And I’ve just this second noticed: Rosy has a protective paw on each of her small companion’s heads.

Simply beautiful.

 

From Let's Get a Pup! by Bob Graham (Walker Books 2001) | Illustration © 2001 by Bob Graham | Used by permission of the publisher

 I like it when Ed the cat sleeps on my bed at night.

Curled up against my legs, his presence is comforting. His squeaky snores are soft and steady. As Graham writes about Rosy and Dave - '[t]heir weight is comfortable and reliable, and will stop Kate's bed floating away into the night.'

So here’s to the reassuring presence of our furry friends - and Rescue Centres everywhere.

STORIES WORTH SHARING: Let's Get a Pup! by Bob Graham

Good to Read because:

The pierced and tattooed parents add a touch of diversity to your bookshelf!

It's great fun to read-aloud

There are plenty of detailed illustrations to pour over

It's a realistic portrayal of chaotic family life!

It's a heartwarming story that helps develops empathy in your child.

It contains a more profound meaning about the value of older people.

It's a fitting tribute to the work of Rescue Centres

Good to Read

Picture books featuring adorable dogs

The Trouble with Dogs by Bob Graham (a follow-up to Let's Get a Pup!)

Dogs by Emily Gravett

Oh No, George! by Chris Haughton

Can't You Sleep, Dotty? by Tim Warnes

BUY THE BOOK

From Let's Get a Pup! by Bob Graham (Walker Books 2001) | Illustration © 2001 by Bob Graham | Used by permission of the publisher

‘[Graham] makes the reader want to rush down to the local dog pound and adopt the lot.’

- Children’s Book Daily

‘an engaging .. story, one which emphasizes the joys of canine companionship, and the importance of compassion’

- Good Reads buy us* I earn commission from the link above #ADSOURCESLet's Get a Pup! by Bob Graham (Walker Books 2001) Biography of Bob Graham (Encyclopedia.com 11 June 2018) Review of ‘Let’s Get a Pup ’ (Children’s books daily, 20 may 2013)The Oxford Companion to Children's Literature (Second Edition) by Daniel Hahn (Oxford University Press 2015) © 2021 BY TIM WARNES(UNLESS OTHERWISE ATTRIBUTED)**** USE OF THIRD-PARTY COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL FALLS UNDER FAIR USE/FAIR DEALING PRACTICE.