Illustrations by Tom Clohosy Cole

Jack loves nothing more than playing video games based on war with his Dad, a member of the Army Reserves. That, and his dog, Finn. And now he’s learning all about the D-Day Landings at school before the Year 6 residential trip to Normandy. Life couldn’t be better.

Then Jack’s parents fall out when his Mum finds Dad’s deployment letter, and everything Jack thought about war is turned on it’s head when he researches a D-Day soldier and his dog, Emile Corteil and Glen.

Is he right to be proud of his Dad? Were soldiers brave or foolish? And what did John Maxwell Edmunds mean when he said, “When you go Home, tell them of us and say, For your Tomorrow, we gave our Today”?

A heart-wrenching story of family, friendship and self-discovery, beautifully told.

Watching Jack struggle with his changing opinions while building a friendship with Kasandra, a refugee from Syria, and spending time with the grizzled old bus driver is both painful and joyous. His ability to see beyond his own strongly held beliefs and empathise with someone else, seeing the world through their eyes shows how powerful stories can be, especially when told by the people who experienced them.

D-Day Dog is a triumph of diversity, inclusivity and the power of knowledge to shape informed, balanced opinions.

Anyone interested in finding out more about the animals who have helped shape the world we live in today would enjoy Heroes: Incredible True Stories Of Courageous Animals by David Long, illustrated by Kerry Hyndman.

Huge thanks to Barrington Stoke for sending me a copy for review. It’s a very welcome addition to my school bookshelf.

About The Publisher…

Barrington Stoke books are designed to help dyslexic and reluctant readers, with:

• Tinted pages to reduce visual stress, which may be more common in people with dyslexia and can make words seem to jump or dance on the page
• A special font that helps prevent people with dyslexia confusing letter shape
• Special spacing to help minimise confusing, blurring and switching
• Thick paper to make sure words and pictures don’t show through from other pages and confuse the eye
• Special editing to help minimise barriers to comprehension. This process was developed by dyslexia and speech and language experts in response to research and feedback from thousands of readers on hundreds of Barrington Stoke manuscripts over the years.