Black Dog

This book was a fantastic story for my Y5 class, soon to become my Y6 class. We read the story and discussed the metaphor of the dog, representing fear. We then listed all the fears the children had about moving up to Y6. We used Pie Corbett's 'talk for writing techniques' the learn the language patterns of the story before the children worked in groups to write their own version. It resulted in an amusing tale of the giant orange chicken outside the school. The children performed their version to the rest of the school and parents during a SEAL assembly. Thoroughly recommend this book for all ages. It's fun and provides a useful starting point to talk about issues, notably fears, the children are facing. Could be used in a range of contexts. The illustrations are also superb and could be used for a range of activities.

This came as an Amazon recommendation and being able to view it online helped me quickly make the decision to buy it for my grand-daughter for Christmas because it has all the ingredients of being a 'special' book (and a snowy cover). The style and detail of the drawings is superb which make it one of those books that you can return to time and again (like Anthony Brown's 'Gorrilla') because you begin to notice more and more quirky little things in the exquisite illustrations. A good intelligent story too. The drawing of the dog is just wonderful, so if you know a little person who has a soft spot for big dogs or you own a black dog yourself then buy this lovely children's book, you won't be disappointed.

Beautifully illustrated, a delight to roam around the details of each scene and a really nice story too - I don't want to give a lame summary but it was a very pleasing metaphor for how your fears can distort reality but how this can be overcome by facing them. It's not scary, it's sweet and has a positive "moral", if you will, without reading like a moral tale. Hmm. I hope this makes sense, it's a lot better written than this review!

I was super excited to have this book arrive. I'd read a little review, again from a blog that I follow and just thought, I have to have this. Some people think that picture books are just sweet little reads for their children, but don't forget it's for the adult as much as it is for the child. And it's even better if there's a theme or moral running beneath the story, which this does. The youngest of the Hope family turns out to be the bravest, facing a fear that none of her family wanted to do. The story gains memento through the repetition and the language, especially read aloud, it is captivating. And the illustrations. Well, they are something different. They're magical, unlike other picture books. They're hauntingly beautiful and the more you study them, the more you discover. It's really not to be missed.

Love reading this with both my 7 year old and my 4 year old. Have seen it used in schools but we don’t in ours. Lovely pictures and a good hidden message about possible fear of the unknown/terrorism/rumours etc. that could lead to discussions about what the children are scared of, that sometimes you have to face your fears or they won’t go away etc.

The author wrote and illustrated this ingenious book portraying the ideal of fear from various perspectives. This charming tale of a young family literally rocked by the appearance of a black dog on their property, is sure to grip young and old readers alike from the first page. The simplicity and cookiness of the tale combined with the quite literally stunning illustrations make this book and absolute must buy. I will definitely be looking out for any books written or illustrated by Levi Pinfold.

My 8 year old asked if he could have this at home as they’re reading it in their English lesson at school. He’s now understanding the story better and reading it to his dad at bedtime, a good buy

wonderful book, pictures are beautiful

"ブラックドックとは一体何なのか"、何にも知らないまっさらな状態で購読。・・・さっぱりわかりません？？？？ ええと、これはイギリスの都市伝説「おそろしい悪魔の使いであるブラックドック」を踏まえた上での、絵本なのですね？？？ なので、日本でならどう例えれば理解できるか、一生懸命考えてみました。 「あるどんよりとした朝、窓の外を見ると怪しい女の人が立っている よく見ると、耳まで裂けた口をもった、あの、口裂け女ではないか！！？ 家族が驚いて外を見るたびに、口裂け女の口は耳どころか腹まで裂け、 ついには人の形ですらないおそろしい怪物に・・・・ が、そんな都市伝説になど惑わされない（知らない？）幼児が外へ出ていくと それまで恐ろしげに見えていた怪物は、だんだん普通の女の人の姿になり よくよく見れば、久しぶりに遊びに来てくれた親戚のおねえちゃんだった。」 ・・・こんな感じでしょうか？？ いかんせん、ブラックドックを知らないと、この本の内容はさっぱり理解できず、共感もできません。 ですが、家族の怯えた表情や、深く考えれば考えてしまうほど恐ろしげな怪物に変身していく窓の外の生き物の様子など、圧倒的な画力で表現されています。 右ページに大きな絵があり、左ページに文章と、大きな絵には入りきらなかった他の家族の様子が小さな絵でコマのように描かれています。この小さなコマも必見です（もっと大きなサイズで載せてくれればいいのに！） モンスターとは、恐れる心が作り出す幻影なのかも・・ということを、ちょっと恐ろしく、そしてある意味滑稽に、見事に描きだした絵本です。

Great book. Of this one to give us a present

Great story to encourage kids to be brave.

Belles illustrations, pas besoin de comprendre l'anglais car le texte est très très basique.

Great story about a problem. Easy analogy for kids.