George goes to the farm by Sinead Saint

George lives an enviable life as a city dog, sipping coffee, eating croissants, going to the salon for a hair cut, singing with a music teacher, shopping for new clothes.

But by Friday he needs a bit of calm, so drives into the countryside for some peace and quiet.

In rhyming text we hear of the situation George finds himself in, peace and quiet being lost in translation. Max the working dog sees George’s presence quite differently. George is expected to work. His first job is to collect the eggs, Max warning him rather late to be careful of the hen. After breakfast the next job is to get the sheep ready for clipping, but George almost gets himself sheared. Trying to retrieve the framer’s hat sees George landing in a mud puddle, which means he is so muddy he needs a bath. But the subsequent wash and blow dry leaves him looking like a big bag of fluff. Returning to the city sees him exhausted, and ready to lie down in his bed. But after his sleep, full of horses and sheep, he recalls his time in the country, happy to return to help whenever he is needed.

Lovely pen and watercolour images are just as funny as the text, showing George in his city habitat, drinking coffee and driving a car, while in the country, he is shown in his attempts to be helpful, some of which come to a sticky end.

Through the story, children will be able to see the different life styles of country and city life, and ponder about how they would fit in. Most kids with little experience of the country will revel in the scenes that are shown to them; tractors, farm animals, shearing, while some of the activities shown will also be unfamiliar; collecting eggs, helping with the sheep, and looking at the range of animals held there.

This is a gentle look at two lifestyles, allowing children to pick out the differences and look at George’s reactions and speculate how they would respond in a similar situation.

Themes: Farm life, City life, Humour, Animals.

Fran Knight