Kate Prendergast took an undergraduate degree in Fine Art, specialisiing in jewellery making, before working for many years in the transport industry. Once her children had grown up, she returned to her love for art and studied for the MA degree in Children's Book Illustration from Cambridge School of Art. Kate's illustrations bring together her love of observational and narrative drawing and her belief in the magical possibilities of everyday life. Dog on a Train is her debut picture book.
This is a very lovely debut picture book from Kate Prendergast.
Soft, evocative pencil drawings tell a moving, wordless story of
love and loyalty...
*Playing by the Book*
Dog captured my heart as soon as I saw the book...it is unusual to
find an artist who is so good at capturing the live form - in this
case Dog and Boy - as well as the cityscape, but Prendergast is
excellent in both areas...A story told in great detail but without
using a single word. Highly recommended.
*The Bookbag*
It's one of those mornings for Boy: late out of bed he grabs at his
hat and hurtles out of the house to catch his train - only he drops
his hat as he goes through the door and Dog chases after him with
the hat in his mouth. They head to the tube station (Dog doesn't
forget to wait at the zebra crossing) with boy just twenty or so
yards in front, but Dog is losing ground as he has to find someone
to carry him on the escalator. He misses Boy's train and has to
wait for the next one, but remembers his manners well enough to
stand up so that an old lady can have his seat. Will he catch up
with boy when he reaches London Kings Cross?
I took quite a lot of words to tell you most of that story, didn't
I? Kate Prendergast does it without using a single one. Even the
colours are restricted: each part of the story is told in
monochrome with just the odd flash of red for Boy's shoes and the
stripes on his hat, but don't worry - you'll have no problem in
following what's happening.
Dog captured my heart as soon as I saw the book. Who could resist
this gorgeous white animal (with a careful paw on his owner's hat)
silhouetted against the interior of Kings Cross Station? There are
forty two drawings in the book - each one a joy to look at and with
little details which you spot on a second reading. It's unusual to
find an artist who is so good at capturing the live form - in this
case Dog and Boy - as well as the cityscape, but Prendergast is
excellent in both areas. I was never in any doubt that we were
looking at Kings Cross Station despite the fact that there are no
signs, but that facade is iconic and it's captured in exquisite
detail. Dog is not just 'a dog' either. Prendergast obviously knows
dogs - she has the expressions and the stances perfectly and never
hits a false note.
Children's picture books often worry me because it seems that
there's a message to be delivered (You WILL share your toys...) and
a story is created to 'carry' this message. Dog on a Train: The
Special Delivery is in a different class. There are gentle, subtle
nudges in the right direction - no matter what sort of a hurry
you're in you always stop at the zebra crossing and wait for the
traffic to stop / you shouldn't be sitting down on public transport
if there's an older person standing up - but they're just part of
the story and not the reason for it. I suspect that they'll have
more impact with children because of this.
I know that I'm a sucker for dogs, but this is one gorgeous book
and I'd like to thank the publishers for sending a copy to the
Bookbag.
For another gorgeous dog, have a look at Wake Up, Alfred! by David
Ellwand.
*The Bookbag*
A sweet story that is illustrated beautifully – the sequence of
stunning sketches telling enough of a story for words to not be
missed. This also leaves room for creativity and imagination when
exploring the book. Perfect for dog lovers, commuters and
children.
*Father Reading Every Day blog*
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