Hospital Dog

Written by the brilliant Julia Donaldson and stunningly illustrated by the award-winning Sara Ogilvie, The Hospital Dog is a big-hearted tale about a very special, very brave dog.Here is a dog, a Dalmatian called Dot,Is she quite ordinary? NO, SHE’S NOT!After their breakfast and a swim in the sea, Dot and her owner Rose jump on the bus to the hospital. Dot loves visiting the children of Wallaby Ward and they’re always pleased to see her too; from a crying baby to a bored teenager – a pat, a stroke and a cuddle with Dot cheers everyone up. But the work of the hospital dog doesn’t stop there and when one of her patients is in trouble, it’s up to Dot to save the day!Winner of the Indie Book Awards 2021 this fantastic rhyming story comes from the bestselling partnership behind The Detective Dog.

The NHS and dogs; each keeps the nation’s heart beating. Trust Julia Donaldson, the rhymetastic author . . . to put the two together in a story that barks to our age. [P]aired with the supremely talented Sara Ogilvie . . . whose beautiful, humorous ink drawings match perfectly the bounding words. [T]he rhymes fly, the heart jumps. It’s guaranteed to give children and parents the literary equivalent of a giant welcome home wag., The verse skips along as cheerfully as Dot on her way round Wallaby Ward., This is a truly wonderful book. The story is told in rhyming couplets which are delicious to read aloud and share with children. The bright illustrations are full of life, warmth, expression and tiny details that make this a wonderful book to come back to again and again. There’s always something new to see! The illustrations are inclusive in terms of ethnicity and disability which make this a brilliant book for all to read.

Julia Donaldson is the author of some of the world's best-loved children's books, including modern classics The Gruffalo and The Gruffalo's Child, which together have sold over 17 million copies worldwide, and the hugely successful What the Ladybird Heard adventures. Julia also writes fiction, including the Princess Mirror-Belle books illustrated by Lydia Monks, as well as poems, plays and songs – and her brilliant live shows are always in demand. She was Children’s Laureate 2011-13 and has been honoured with a CBE for Services to Literature. Julia and her husband Malcolm divide their time between West Sussex and Edinburgh.Sara Ogilvie is an award-winning illustrator and printmaker who won the 2011 Booktrust Best New Illustrator Award. The first picture book that she illustrated, Dogs Don't Do Ballet, was also shortlisted for the Roald Dahl Funny Prize. In addition to working on her picture books, Sara lectures in Illustration and Graphic Design at Northumbria University and continues to create work that is exhibited worldwide. She is inspired by many things including second-hand bookshops, old wives tales and trying to spell sounds. Sara lives in Newcastle upon Tyne.