Snoopy’s creator Charles M. Schulz said, ‘Happiness is a warm puppy’ – and we couldn’t agree more! We’ve sniffed out some of the goodest dogs that can be found in children’s fiction.
Hairy Maclary from Donaldson’s Dairy is one of the top dogs in the children’s literary world! In this rhyming classic, the Skye terrier has set off for a walk and is joined by some of his fellow four-legged friends including Schnitzel von Krumm and Bottomley Potts. The canine crew are enjoying their stroll, but then out of nowhere they find themselves face-to-face with the toughest tom cat in town – Scarface Claw!
Recommended reading age: 1-3 years old
For over 40 years Spot has been joining toddlers on their discovery of the world. In Eric Hill’s iconic lift-the-flap book – which was the very first of its kind – it’s dinner time and cheeky Spot is hiding from his mum. She searches all around the house – under the stairs, in the piano, behind the door. Will Sally ever find Spot?
Recommended reading age: 1-2 years old
Dogger by Shirley Hughes (1977)
Although technically a toy, Dogger is another iconic literary pooch. He is Dave’s favourite toy and Dave takes Dogger everywhere with him. They play together, go for walks, and Dave even bathes him. One day after collecting his older sister Bella from school, Dave misplaces Dogger. His family look everywhere for the soft brown dog but he’s nowhere to be found. Will Dave ever be reunited with his best friend?
Fidget is probably the most mischievous dog on this list. He likes to jump on beds, run around in circles, swing in trees and bark – a lot! He also tends to get carried away and wander off, and one day he can’t find his way back home. To reunite with his beloved owner, Fidget must channel his inner wonder dog and go on an epic journey that will take him across the high seas.
Recommended reading age: 3-7 years old
The Plumdog series is based on the adventures of author and illustrator Emma Chichester Clark’s own dog Plum who is a whippet, Jack Russell and poodle cross. Plum loves lots of things; going to the park, seeing her friends and her bed. She even loves it when Emma tells her ‘Good girl, Plummie!’ after doing a poo. The problem is, trouble loves Plum and sometimes she can’t help but find herself doing naughty things…
Recommended reading age: 3+ years old
Dog is our kind of pooch – just like us, he loves books! Dog loves everything about them; the smell of them, the feel of them. And he’ll read anything too; stories about dinosaurs or aliens – you name it, he’ll read it. Dog loves books so much that he decides to open his own bookshop where he can then recommend books to others. Turned into a hit CBeebies show, this is the first tail (get it?) in the Dog Loves series .
Recommended reading age: 3-5 years old
Lizzie has always wanted a dog and is determined to convince her parents that she needs one (and speaking as a totally objective third party, we agree with Lizzie.) So, Lizzie begins to put together a list of 101 reasons why she should get a dog. But whilst she is compiling her list, she witnesses a Dalmatian puppy being dog-napped! Will Lizzie be able to help the helpless pooch and make a friend for life in the process?
Recommended reading age: 5-8 years old
We were first introduced to dog skeleton in the classic spooky tale Funnybones , and in this story, the bony canine gets a starring role. Like most dogs, his dreams often involve tasty bones, and when he wakes up, he decides to go on a walk in the dark, dark night. But along the way, the little dog keeps losing parts of himself. Soon he’s just a pile of bones! Will the big skeleton and little skeleton be able to find their skeletal hound and put him back together?
Recommended reading age: 3-5 years old
Dick King-Smith’s iconic story is a bit of a wild card in this list, but we couldn’t not mention beloved Babe, the sheep-pig! After being won at a fair by Farmer Hoggett, Babe is adopted by the kind sheepdog Fly and wants to follow in her footsteps of helping round up sheep. But Babe can’t do that – he’s a pig! Before long though, the wannabe pooch shows everyone that he is the greatest sheep-pig around.
Recommended reading age: 7-9 years old
We couldn’t resist giving a shout-out to Jack Skellington’s ghost dog Zero who with his nose so bright, guides Jack’s sleigh on Christmas Eve night. In Halloweenland, all the ghouls and monsters look up to Jack – he is the master of macabre tricks and frights! However this year, he finds himself tired of scaring people. With the help of his trusty canine sidekick Zero and a little Christmas magic, Jack soon finds himself again.
Recommended reading age: 3-10 years old
