Greyfriars Bobby - Softcover

Brown, Ruth

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1849396329 ISBN 13: 9781849396325

Publisher: Andersen Press, 2013

Synopsis

A true story of a dog's love and loyalty is retold and illustrated in sumptuous style

More than 100 years ago, a faithful little dog called Bobby kept a 14-year vigil by his master's graveside in Greyfriars churchyard in Edinburgh, Scotland. Bobby captured the hearts of the townsfolk and remains a legend still today. This 19th-century tale is now retold by Ruth Brown from the perspective of two modern-day children who come across the commemorative plaque outside Greyfriar's churchyard.

About this title

About the Author

Ruth Brown is the author and illustrator of many children's books, including A Dark, Dark Tale; The Old Tree; The Tale of Two Mice; Ten Seeds; and Snail Trail, which was shortlisted for the Kate Greenaway Medal.

Reviews

Though classified as fiction, this tells the supposedly true story of Scotland’s most loyal dog. A framing device introduces two American kids, bored with Edinburgh tourism, as they stumble upon the water-fountain statue in honor of Greyfriars Bobby. A gardener at the next-door churchyard tells them the story. In the mid-1800s, Bobby was the companion of a shepherd named Old Jock, and the two went everywhere together, including the local café. When Jock died, in 1858, Bobby followed his remains to a Greyfriars burial plot and spent the rest of his life atop the grave—making side trips to the café for meals, of course. Though there is a disorienting lack of context (the word Edinburgh, for instance, doesn’t appear in the main text), the tale is a mix of haunting and sweet that ought to lodge inside young brains the way it has in Scottish legend. Brown’s beautiful watercolors ably depict Bobby’s courage and especially excel at the alternately sunny, gloomy, and snowy cityscapes. A fitting tribute to an unforgettable canine. Grades K-3. --Daniel Kraus

Edition details

• Publisher: Andersen Press
• Publication date: 2013
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1849396329
• ISBN 13: 9781849396325
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 32