Gillian McClure

Dog on Wheels at Sunny Sea

Dog on Wheels at Sunny Sea

'Two eyes, two ears and a nose, Dubbin has wheels and goes faster than feet through the heat, rolling along, singing a song, looking for somewhere quiet on the sands of Sunny Sea.'



The grittiness of sand and the sparkle of sea are done with rock salt dissolved in water colour wash. White gouache over a dark ground is used to create another textured effect.



Story and illustrations: Gillian McClure



U.K. Publisher: Troika, 2018

ISBN: 9781909991712

 

Reviews

The words in this book bounce and roll across the pages moving the story along at such a great pace. The art is so textured and atmospheric you can almost taste the sea air. I love Dubbin the high speed hero, what an adventure!

Polly Dunbar



Dubbin sets off on his skateboard for a day at the seaside with his friend Tod.  When Tod’s bouncy blue ball gets them into trouble and Tod ends up in the cold sea at the end of the pier, Dubbin must race to rescue him.
This is the third Dog on Wheels book, following ‘Dog on Wheels’ and ‘Dog on Wheels goes snowboarding’. All three are a delight. It’s impossible not to be charmed by Dubbin and Tod, and their close friendship.  The dynamic between them is one that will feel familiar to many young readers who will have a best friend.  Dubbin is big, brash and exuberant; Tod is small and cautious, needing Dubbin to spur him on or get him out of a scrape.  A third, mysterious dog tags along behind in each book, visible only in the illustrations and never explicitly mentioned in the story.  The text has visual shape and movement which reflects the racing pace of the dogs’ adventures and the subtlety of the rhyme and rhythm makes the story a joy to read aloud.  In the illustrations there is wit and warmth, with just enough detail for a child to pause and point to without interrupting the romping pace of the story.  The dogs charge through soothing pastel backgrounds; text and illustrations move and blend together beautifully to bring the story to life.

 

Yvonne Coppard RLF Fellow and co author of 'Writing Children's Fiction'




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