Pugs of the Frozen North

Pugs of the Frozen North is the third 'Reeve and McIntyre Production' and continues the pairing of illustration and text, where you really cannot imagine one without the other. Every page has something to look at, all in various shades of green and grey, making it very readable for those children who do not yet quite have the stamina for great swathes of uninterrupted text.

The story involves Shen and Sika and their bid to win the race to the 'top of the world' to meet the Snowfather, who has the gift of granting wishes. Along the way, they meet a strange assortment of rival competitors and any number of seemingly impossible obstacles.

The stars are, of course, the 66 pugs of the title, all individually named at the back of the book, who are enlisted to pull the sled across the snow and ice, despite being not in the slightest bit suitable for the task, though Shen does provide them all with warm coats in the form of sleeves cut off a great number of woolly jumpers.

Amid all the adventures with the wicked Sir Basil Sprout-Dumpling, the yetis and their amazing noodles, the kraken and the other contestants in the race, this is a story of tenacity, co-operation and working together in the face of adversity.

The ending, where Sika finds out that not all wishes can be granted, even by the Snowfather, is sad and uplifting at the same time and beautifully written. In fact, Reeve's writing throughout is never less than captivating (the sun 'scattering sequins on the snow') and all readers, young and old, will be enthralled by this book.

224 pages / Reviewed by June Hughes, school librarian

Suggested Reading Age 7+