News Hounds: The dinosaur discovery by Laura James. Illus. by Charlie Alder

For readers who love dogs and a little bit of crime or mystery this book is perfect.  It is told from a dog’s perspective and is a wonderfully funny adventure story. 

Puddle Train Station is run by the stationmaster and Bob is his dog, he is also a reporter for The Daily Bark, a newspaper for dogs.  It is up to Bob to ensure the trains run on time and who better to sniff out all the comings and goings of the people and animals than Bob.  Bob has his station running like clockwork until he hears about the scoop of a lifetime, someone has dug up bones, and not just any bones – a dinosaur skeleton. 

Now Bob’s life is crazy as he and the other News Hounds try to catch a sniff of a despicable dinosaur thief and keep life at the station running like normal. 

This is a fabulous first chapter book for children, especially those who know that dogs don’t lie in the sun waiting for their owners to come home from work.  It is filled with fabulous illustrations that are sure to engage children and ensure their enjoyment on the story.  I loved this book and would thoroughly recommend it for any school or home library as a great first step to reading alone, it would also work as a read together or read aloud but I think this is one that children will want to spend time exploring the illustrations and the imaginative text on their own. 

Themes: Dogs, Dinosaurs, Detectives, Reporting, Crimes.

Mhairi Alcorn