It's a Dog's Life

by Michael Morpurgo, Hannah George (Illustrations)

This story is an energetic romp through a dog's busy day on a farm. Russ, the sheepdog, herds sheep and cows and plots against Tigger, the farm cat. He covers Lula, his master's daughter, with lots of slobbery licks but when she gets a special birthday present, he worries that she might love it more than she loves him.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Dogs, Animals

48 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2007

About the author

Sir Michael Andrew Morpurgo, OBE, FRSL is the author of many books for children, five of which have been made into films. He also writes his own screenplays and libretti for opera. Born in St Albans, Hertfordshire, in 1943, he was evacuated to Cumberland during the last years of the Second World War, then returned to London, moving later to Essex. After a brief and unsuccessful spell in the army, he took up teaching and started to write. He left teaching after ten years in order to set up 'Farms for City Children' with his wife. They have three farms in Devon, Wales and Gloucestershire, open to inner city school children who come to stay and work with the animals. In 1999 this work was publicly recognised when he and his wife were invested a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to youth. In 2003, he was advanced to an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE). He became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature (FRSL) in 2004. He was knighted in the 2018 for his services to literature and charity. He is also a father and grandfather, so children have always played a large part in his life. Every year he and his family spend time in the Scilly Isles, the setting for three of his books.

Reviews

[Rahmadiyanti · Rating 3 out of 5]

Saya mudah tergoda dengan picture book berilustrasi cantik seperti yang ada di buku ini. Apalagi tentang hewan. Meski buku ini nggak saya beli sih, baca di tempat aja :D

Russ adalah tokoh utama buku ini. Seekor anjing collie berbulu hitam putih yang telah lama "mengabdi" pada sebuah keluarga yang tinggal di ladang pertanian. Melalui perspektif Russ lah, cerita ini bertutur. Russ punya beragam tugas. Menjaga ternak, menemani Lula--gadis cilik anak pemilik ladang (Russ sangat mencintai Lula), hingga mengejar kucing. Suatu hari Lula mendapat hadiah dari orangtuanya. Russ merasa tersingkir, karena Lula lebih sayang pada hadiah tsb. Benarkah?

Ceritanya sederhana dan kurang konflik sih, tapi punya pesan yang cukup kuat untuk anak-anak, tentang menghargai & mencintai apa yang kita miliki, meski ada sesuatu/seseorang baru yang mungkin lebih menarik.

[Christina Reid · Rating 4 out of 5]

So glad I saw this in my local bookshop and picked up a copy - it's adorable!
I am biased because I grew up around collies therefore they will always be the best dogs. I really liked the illustrations and the fact that the story is told from the dog's perspective. A gentle, lovely story that I imagine most children and animal-lovers would adore. It is more suitable for a read-together rather than a read-aloud, but I am sure it will become a favourite.

[Elsa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Livre eu gratuitement dans une commande et je suis clairement pas la cible haha. Les dessins sont jolis mais même pour du jeunesse ++, c'est une histoire vraiment très simple et basique.

C'est mon troisième Morpurgo après Le royaume de Kensuké et Robin des bois, donc forcément le niveau n'est pas du tout le même

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Russ the sheepdog on a sheep farm talks about his day from his own perspective. It's Lula's birthday and Russ gets a little jealous of her new present but is reassured that she still loves him best.

I like the depiction of country life. A fun story for those who love dogs!

[Reetta Saine · Rating 2 out of 5]

Koiran päivä. That's it.

[Dominika · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely book. Russ is likeable character. Story from the point of shepherd dog.

[Steven Fox · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book for children learning to read. The children loved the story about Russ.

[Anu-vinkkari · Rating 3 out of 5]

Paimenkoiran päivä aamusta iltaan, hommia, herkkuja, torkkuja ja iso joukko ihmis- ja eläinkavereita. Selkeä tarina tikuilla kirjoitettuna. Koirafaneille.

[Tim · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is written in the present tense (which I find annoying), it has an under current of Russ (the dog) being self-pitying (It's a Dog's Life!), devious and a bit proud of that. It is not that well written for reading out loud.

However our kids (3 and 2) love it. Why?
Not sure. Except that there are some really good things about the book. The pictures/illustrations are lovely. The girl Lula is sweet. We love singing 'Happy Birthday' at the right bit. Life on the farm is interesting. We like it when Lula scoffs her breakfast (a nice sounding word, if not a nice reality!) and her Dad whistles and whoops for Russ. Plus my wife and I take a lot of liberties with the text that overcomes some of the above negatives.

So all in all this wouldn't be top on my list for under 4s or 5s. But it is much loved in our house!

[Liliana Escamilla]

This book is about a farmer dog's life and all that he does on his family's farm, like herd sheep, etc. It brings up issues about loving everyone the same even though someone new might come into the picture.

Teaching children about accepting others is important to do because the students must know how to embrace people/animals into their lives.

Student's can my notebooks and pass it around to each classmate and they can each write each other notes on why they enjoy their friendship/having them around. It will make them feel special and cared for.

[Romelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a Dogs life by Michael Morpurgo is told in 1st person-- from the Dog's POV. Kids will enjoy the perspective of the dog as he goes through his normal farming routine of herding cows and sheep, walking Lula to the bus stop, chasing crows and cats, and hanging out with his buddy, Smarty. This story reads like a day-in-a-life of a farm dog with no real conflict other than the dog being a little naughty. If you are in to knowing what goes on in the mind of a dog, then this story is for you. A great book for dog lovers.

[Amanda Lavelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

My son really loved this story. Told from the Border Collie's view point. He probably loved it more as his Grandma has border collies but I think any animal loving child will find it a delight.