For months, Ben had been thinking about dogs. He had picked the biggest and the best from the dog-books in the library. So imagine his disappointment when, for his birthday, Ben receives a picture of a dog. Ben's imagination soon got to work, however.
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For months, Ben had been thinking about dogs. He had picked the biggest and the best from the dog-books in the library. So imagine his disappointment when, for his birthday, Ben receives a picture of a dog. Ben's imagination soon got to work, however.
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Seller's Description:
Dispatched, from the UK, within 48 hours of ordering. Though second-hand, the book is still in very good shape. Minimal signs of usage may include very minor creasing on the cover or on the spine.
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Seller's Description:
Good. All orders are dispatched within 1 working day from our UK warehouse. Established in 2004, we are dedicated to recycling unwanted books on behalf of a number of UK charities who benefit from added revenue through the sale of their books plus huge savings in waste disposal. No quibble refund if not completely satisfied.
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Good. **SHIPPED FROM UK** We believe you will be completely satisfied with our quick and reliable service. All orders are dispatched as swiftly as possible! Buy with confidence! Greener Books.
I first read this book more than thirty years ago. I remember looking at the cover and feeling disappointed. I read Biggles books and this seemed so removed from this that I wondered why my mother had bought it for me. Yet, I read and re-read it. It became the book to read when I was ill in bed.
However, reading it again I can see that I never read it. Not deeply. I missed so much. The story of Ben's desire for a dog and the disappointment at receiving an embroidered picture of a dog instead, is very clear. It is the skill of Philippa Pearce that she wove in so much more, the consequences of growing old, being a child in a large family and the selfishness of children that can drive them into self-willed isolation as they immerse themselves in their dreams, that makes this a book so much more than a book only for children.
For me, returning to it so many years after first reading it has given me, not just the chance to read once more a wonderful piece of literature, it has also shone light on aspects of my own childhood that had lain long forgotten. With the perspective that adult life brings, these aspects can be seen, not as moments confined to childhood but as steps on the long journey to being who we are.
