Invisible Dog by Dick King-Smith

I do think the world is divided into dog people and cat people and I am most definitely a dog person.  As a very young child I longed for a dog and this longing was made even stronger by the stories my dad told me about his precious childhood dogs and then one day, when I was at the end of Primary school, our dog arrived.

Just like the little girl in My Dog Sunday, Janie longs for a dog and just like my own experience Janie has heard about a precious dog that her parents owned a long time ago.  One day Janie finds the old collar and lead that once belonged to Rupert.  Holding this and smelling the far away memories fuels her imagination and longing and so Janie now takes the collar and lead everywhere so she can hold onto her invisible dog.  Her parents play along with the fantasy but for Janie, Henry is a real dog.  He is also a real dog in the eyes of her neighbor Mrs Garrow.  An astute reader will recognise some special things about this lady. She tells fortunes by reading tea leaves but more importantly "on the lawn old Mrs Garrow was sweeping away with a long broomstick of birch twigs, watched by her black cat."

Invisible Dog also has links to Desperate for a dog by Rose Impey.  Janie's dad tells her she will need lots of money for a Great Dane dog - a harlequin.  How can Janie ever get five hundred pounds?

I have included three different covers.  Which one do you like best?  The invisible dog is an easy and satisfying read.  It would make an excellent family read-a-loud.

This novel will appeal to animal lovers of all ages, and also to those who believe or fervently hope that wishes can come true.