Brindle by Barbara Robertson Review

Reviewed by Lee-Anne McCarthy

As a great book lover myself I love books for my children that are reminiscent of those that I read as a child. When we received the book Brindle I found it was just that. This was a hardback book that had beautiful sketch type illustrations both on the front and the back of a naughty dog Brindle. The chapters are quite substantial in length. The recommended reading age is 7-9 however I would imagine children in the lower age bracket may find their length a little overwhelming if not supported by a parent.

The story itself is a lovely tale of the antics and frolics of a very cheeky and mischievous dog named Brindle. The playful, rascal-like nature of Brindle was massively appealing to Caitlin and led to lots of laughs at the moments of chaos that the little dog caused. As dog lovers we liked the perspective of book the tall tales and the little dog made us coo, smile and even laugh out loud. The language was adventurous and stretching but definitely manageable for a confident reader and more so for shared reading with a parent or older sibling. Caitlin had her own opinions of Brindle.

I like the look of this book when we got it. The cover made me want to read it and not watch TV. The story is all about a dog called Brindle who likes to get up to mischief. He saves the house from burglars, he takes a trip on a bus and follows the next door neighbour to the local school sports day. My favourite part of the story is when Brindle barks and annoys the burglars so much that they just go away. Some of the language was a little bit challenging especially if this book was for children who may be younger than me. I liked the pictures that were in the book but I would have liked to have seen more pictures especially of Brindle having fun. I would give this book 4/5.

I completely agree with Caitlin the book is funny, heart-warming and a lovely tale of a wonderful family companion. I too would give it a 4/5.

Rating: 4/5

RRP: £7.99 (paperback)

Available to buy from Book Guild Publishing here.