I shan’t reveal the rest of the story but I found the book to be a great example of children using their imagination and inventing a fantasy world. This would be suitable for KS2 readers (aged 9-11) and the ending would perhaps surprise some children – a classic case of ‘be careful what you wish for’. Soon Ben’s travels in his head become a distraction and tragedy strikes. Ben invents a world inside his head and wonders, what about a dog so small you could see it only with your eyes shut?īen names his wool work dog ‘Chiquitito’ and together they travel all over London, to green parks and large open spaces – all in Ben’s head. However, this leads to the fantastical story of Ben and his imagination. At first, he is dismayed, upset and angry that his grandfather breaks his word. His grandfather promises him a dog for his birthday but when the day arrives, he is presented instead with a wool work picture of a Chihuahua – a tiny dog from Mexico. He longs to own a pet dog but his mother and father remind him of the practicalities – no open spaces or room to keep it. ROLL OF THUNDER, HEAR MY CRY by Mildred D.Ben Blewitt lives in the back streets of central London with his parents. GOODNIGHT MISTER TOM and BACK HOME by Michelle MagorianĬHARLOTTE'S WEB, STUART LITTLE and THE TRUMPET OF THE SWAN by E. She won a Carnegie Medal for TOM'S MIDNIGHT GARDEN and a Whitbread Prize for THE BATTLE OF BUBBLE AND SQUEAK. She was a scriptwriter-producer for the BBC, a children's book editor and reviewer, a lecturer, a storyteller and freelance writer for radio and newspapers as well as writing some of the best-loved books of the 20th century. Philippa Pearce grew up in a millhouse near Cambridge and read English and history at Girton College. Ben is excited when the big day arrives, but he receives a picture of a dog instead of a real one! But the imagination can be a powerful thing, and when Ben puts his to work, his adventures really begin! He's picked out the biggest and best dogs from the books in the library - and he just knows he's going to get one for his birthday. In A DOG SO SMALL young Ben Blewitt is desperate for a dog. Philippa Pearce's poignant story of a young boy who longs for a pet dog. There are 20 titles to collect in the series, listed below, all with exciting new covers and fun-filled endnotes. Puffin Modern Classics are relaunched under a new logo: A Puffin Book. A Puffin Book - stories that last a lifetime.

A Dog So Small by Philippa Pearce