The Messenger

About this book

Of the 16 million animals that served alongside troops in the First World War, it’s thought that more than fifty thousand of them were dogs; twenty thousand of those are thought to have been “war dogs” trained by the British Army for front line duties. 

In Lindsay Roberts Rayne’s stunning debut picture book, a little girl sends her puppy to be trained as a war dog, responding to a call for help by the British government. It’s 1917 and her father is already away, fighting in the trenches: the girl decides to send him her puppy to help. 

After her training at the British War Dog School, the puppy is sent to work on the front lines with her handler. Running missions to deliver messages across No Man’s Land is terrifying and difficult, but the little dog does her job admirably – and, when her handler needs her most, she’s there to save the day. 

This beautifully illustrated, mostly wordless picture book has a filmic feel, with wide graphic novel style strips mapping the action of battle. Full page illustrations that are sometimes dark and scary, perfectly capture the horror of the trenches in an appropriate way for younger readers. Through the darkness, the white and ginger fur of the puppy is a point of light, illustrating how hope is always present, even in the darkest of times.  

This would be a wonderful resource for schools studying World War One and contains some brilliant information at the back of the book about the role of animals in the war as well as the British War Dog School.