Heaven - Softcover

Allan, Nicholas

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1782953051 ISBN 13: 9781782953050

Publisher: Red Fox, 2014

Synopsis

A gentle tale of a girl, her dog, and what happens when the time comes to say goodbye   Dill the dog knows his time is up, so he packs his case and tells Lily, his owner, that he’s off "up there." "Can I come too?" asks Lily. "Er . . . not yet," replies Dill. While he is waiting for the angels to collect him, Dill explains to Lily what he thinks heaven is like—hundreds of lampposts to pee against, lots of whiffy things to smell, and bones everywhere—with meat on them! But Lily completely disagrees; she thinks heaven is quite different. Luckily, they agree to disagree just in time for a fond, and very poignant, last goodbye.

About this title

About the Author:

Nicholas Allan studied fine art at the Slade and has completed an MA in creative writing at the University of East Anglia. His picture books have won him several awards, including the Sheffield Children's Book Award for The Queen's Knickers and the Federation of Children's Books Best Picture Book Award for Demon Teddy.

From Publishers Weekly:

Although the "D" word is never mentioned ("I'm being collected," Dill the dog tells his owner, Lily, as he packs his suitcase), death is indeed the subject of this quirky, small-format picture book. As in his Jesus' Christmas Party, Allan pairs a puckish text with warm pen-and-wash sketches softened by loose, cartoonlike lines. Dill and Lily, as the title suggests, discuss heaven: she sees it as a sort of candy-and-carnival free-for-all; for Dill, it's full of bones and lampposts and "whiffy things to smell on the ground." A pair of angels come to pick up Dill ("Time," says one), giving Lily and Dill one last chance to embrace. Lily's sense of loss is assuaged when she finds a stray pup; in a sweet twist, she treats him to a dog's version of heaven on earth, with Dill looking down from his cloudtop perch in approval. Allan's lighthearted approach to a subject usually treated with great somberness will likely provoke a wide range of responses, with some applauding his whimsy, others decrying his irreverence and still others questioning the story's emotional truth. What is certain, however, is that opinions about the book will be strong, whether positive or negative. All ages.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Red Fox
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 1782953051
• ISBN 13: 9781782953050
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: Allan Nicholas