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The Dog That Saved Christmas

by Nicola Davies, illustrated by Mike Byrne

Interest age: 9 to 11
Reading age: 8+

Published by Barrington Stoke, 2018

  • Chapter books
  • Autistic spectrum conditions

About this book

It’s started again. The noise and excitement of preparations for Christmas that everyone else seems to enjoy just make Jake want to hide in his room until it’s all over.

He hates the bright lights, and the noise and disruption to his normal routines, both at home and at school, just stress him out. But then Jake meets a lost dog, who seems as disorientated by Christmas carols and inflatable snowmen as he is, and in trying to keep her safe and calm, Jake finds his own anxiety diminishing.

The super-readable text is beautifully complemented by expressive black-and-white illustrations that help to interpret the difficulties Jake is experiencing. This is not only an engaging Christmas story but also a sensitive and fascinating portrayal of how Christmas might be experienced by a boy on the autistic spectrum and how a therapy dog can provide reassurance and stability.

About the author

Nicola Davies is the author of more than 50 books for children: fiction, non-fiction and poetry. Her work has been published in more than 10 different languages and has won major awards in the UK, US, France, Italy and Germany.

Nicola trained as a zoologist, taking a degree in Natural Sciences from King's College, Cambridge. She spent some years as a field biologist and studied humpback and sperm whales, and bats, before joining the BBC Natural History Unit as a researcher and then presenter.

Following the start of her writing career, Nicola became a senior lecturer in creative writing, at Bath Spa University but has been writing full time for over a decade. She now regularly runs workshops for children and adults to help them find their voices as writers and advocates for nature. In 2017, she was the first recipient of the SLA’s award for Outstanding Contribution to Children’s Non-fiction and in 2018 had four picture books longlisted for the Greenaway Award.

Find out what Nicola Davies is up to as our Writer in Residence

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