Spirit Dog
by Steve Bonham
★★★★
Review
This is a beautifully simple but enchanting true story of a journey through the High Atlas Mountains towards the Sahara Desert undertaken by 4 men and their unexpected guardian, Black the golden retriever.
This gorgeously illustrated book shares the story of how a lone but fiercely protective dog joined Steve Bonham and his 4 friends on their travels over mountains, through rivers and past packs of wild dogs towards the Sahara desert.
Through Steve’s effortless story telling, you are transported to Morocco, North Africa where you experience its breathtaking beauty and feel the magic of his wild adventure. This book is crammed full of natural beauty, facts about the places and cultures that he visited and pure appreciation for the natural world.
As well as the landscape, Black the ‘Spirit Dog’ brings another element of magic to this story, and the fact that these events are true made me love this book even more. The connection that formed between Black and his travelling companions is truly heart-warming and reminds you the sheer joy and companionship that dogs can give to us.
This book would be an excellent teaching stimulus for descriptive writing or as an enrichment opportunity for topics linked to mountains, deserts or Africa (more specifically Morocco). It is absolutely overflowing with beautiful language, new vocabulary and insights into the Berber culture and tradition, making it a perfect and educational book for sharing with children of any age.
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Key information
Author: Steve Bonham
Illustrator: Tasia Graham
Release date: 23rd April 2024
Book type: Picture book, 76 pages, paperback
Reader level: Growing reader/shared with younger
Overview
The Spirit Dog is a heartwarming and true story about a mysterious dog named Black who adopts author Steve Bonham and his friend Moha as they journey through the High Atlas Mountains towards the Sahara Desert. Through the heat, rocky mountains and deep valleys, encountering deserted kasbahs, streams of salt water, remote villages, a young snake and packs of wild dogs, this is an enchanting and haunting tale of adventure and companionship.
Should I read this book?
You should read this book if you...
love dogs
enjoy true stories
love stories about deserts of Africa
Reader level: Growing
Content: all ages
Help me read
- Morocco: A North African country
- Labrador: A playful breed of dog
- Sahara Desert: African desert, the largest hot desert in the world
- Atlas Mountains: The Atlas Mountains extend 2,500km across northwestern Africa, spanning Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia,
- Berber people: The first people to live in the countries of Morocco, Algeria, Libya...
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