The Chase

By Author / Illustrator

Jenny Bloomfield

Genre

Animals

Age range(s)

Publisher

Frances Lincoln Children's Books

ISBN

9781836008590

Format

Paperback / softback

Published

05-02-2026

Synopsis

Are you ready? Are you steady? FETCH!

A girl on a beach throws a ball for one eager little dog. Suddenly one dog becomes two - three - TEN leaping, bounding doggies, hot on its trail! The chase is on: who will be the lucky pup to fetch the bright red prize?

The race leads them down the beach, through the city, into the museum; high up over the city balanced on an iron girder; through the park down the river, until: what's that rumbling sound? Oh dear! But not even a thundering waterfall will stop these determined dogs from chasing down that ball . . .

An utter joy from beginning to end, Chase combines the charm - and an adorable canine crew - of Hairy Maclary with the infectious rhythm and energy of We're Going on a Bear Hunt.

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Reviews

Maria

If you like action, canine friends and lots of fun then The Chase by Jenny Bloomfield is the book for you. The story starts on an open beach with a young girl, an eager dog and a red ball...(turn the page) and the story is off with the word FETCH and a few more canine friends who are ready to chase the ball.

The Chase follows the adventures of the red ball through urban and rural places followed close behind by an array of dogs and a few additional animals too. The clever rhyming text weaves through the beautiful illustrations taking the reader on an energetic journey of sounds, sights and a few funny moments as they try with all their might to FETCH the ball.

The illustrations capture the pace of the story and the eagerness of the dogs chasing the ball, with fun and chaos and pages that move from landscape to portrait and a surprise reveal near the end.

This gorgeous book has many opportunities to support learning at home and in the classroom. There are questions to explore, rhyming words to find and identifying lots of different punctuation in the text including ellipsis. This book is a great book to explore grammar. Children will love the energy of the dogs and finding the other animals in search of the ball too - and, of course, the end of the story, which will start the chase once more!

Picture book / Reviewed by Maria, teacher