A Girl Called Dog

by Nicola Davies

Dog wasn't really a dog, she was a human girl. But she was called Dog because that is what Uncle had always called her.

Dog has never been outside of nasty Uncle's pet shop. She sleeps in a box on a floor and has no idea what the world outside looks like. Then in a flurry of colour and feathers, Carlos the parrot arrives in the shop and her world as she knows it changes for ever.

Managing to escape, Dog, Carlos and her best friend Esme the coati set out, in search of the same thing, somewhere they belong, somewhere they can call home. But the world is a huge, dangerous place, and they face danger and adventure at every turn . . .

A spirit-soaring tale of adventure, friendship and belonging that will appeal to all lovers of Michael Morpurgo and Roald Dahl.

208 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2011

About the author

"I was very small when I saw my first dolphin," says zoologist Nicola Davies, recalling a seminal visit with her father to a dolphin show at the zoo. Enchanted at the sight of what she called the "big fish" jumping so high and swimming so fast, she determined right then that she would meet the amazing creatures again "in the wild, where they belonged." And indeed she did--as part of a pair of scientific expeditions, one to Newfoundland at the age of eighteen and another to the Indian Ocean a year later. In WILD ABOUT DOLPHINS, Nicola Davies describes her voyages in a firsthand account filled with fascinating facts and captivating photographs of seven species of dolphins in action.

Nicola Davies's seemingly boundless enthusiasm for studying animals of all kinds has led her around the world--and fortunately for young readers, she is just as excited about sharing her interests through picture books. The zoologist's latest offering puts a decidedly quirky twist on her years of experience: POOP: A NATURAL HISTORY OF THE UNMENTIONABLE is a fun, fact-filled guide to the fascinating world of poop across species. "As a zoologist, you are never far from poop!" the writer explains. "I've baked goose poop in an oven with my dinner, looked at bat poop under the microscope, and had my T-shirt stained pink with blue-whale poop. I was obviously fated to write this book."


The exceptional combination of Nicola Davies's zoological expertise and her first-rate children's writing is apparent in her remarkable catalog of award-winning titles. Her first book with Candlewick Press, BIG BLUE WHALE, was hailed by American Bookseller as an "artfully composed study" offering "language exactly appropriate for four- to seven-year-olds and precisely the right amount of information." In ONE TINY TURTLE, Nicola Davies's clear, compelling narrative follows the life of the rarely seen loggerhead turtle, which swims the oceans for thirty years and for thousands of miles in search of food, only to return, uncannily, to lay her eggs on the very beach where she was born. The author's next book, BAT LOVES THE NIGHT, is a tenderly written ode to a much-misunderstood flying mammal, the pipistrelle bat, while SURPRISING SHARKS--winner of a BOSTON GLOBE-HORN BOOK Honor Award--contains unexpected facts about another one of the planet's most infamous animals.


When she is not off on scientific expeditions, Nicola Davies lives in a cottage in Somerset, England, where she is lucky enough to have pipistrelle bats nesting in her roof.

Reviews

[Sean Harding · Rating 4 out of 5]

A provocative title and a great read about overcoming evil and abuse and making your way into thee world - a great story with beautiful themes and a great and gentle written style. Nicola Davies I shall return!

[Rebecca Nelson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Age 9-11yrs.
Themes of abuse/neglect.
Animal friendships and escape/adventure.

[Sinead · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was alright, it was a bit boring at first but once they got on the ship they found a murderer who was crazed from being starved and he tried to eat them. Some rats tried to eat them to. that was the most interesting part and in the end one of her best friends died in a shipwreck it was SO sad.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this primarily because I love the author's nonfiction books, and she didn't let me down. This adventure follows a girl who has been kept like a prisoner in her uncle's pet store and she finally escapes with a macaw and a coati. I will be suggesting this to my animal-loving students!

[Deb · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wasn't quite sure what direction this book was going. Ended up in South America.