Looking for Rex (Jan Ormerod, illus by Carol Thompson, Little Hare)

Although Gramps keeps himself active and busy, he’s lonely. He misses his wife Rose, and his family thinks he should get out more. Mum suggests that Gramps might like to get a cat for company, but that’s not an option because cats make Gramps sneeze. His three grandchildren decide that Gramps should get a dog, which is how the game ‘Looking for Rex’ is invented. They play it together often, looking for Rex and meeting a variety of dogs along the way. Finally, Gramps is convinced that a dog might be good company after all, and he finds himself playing the game even when the children aren’t around. The game ends with a nice surprise for everyone. This heart-warming story will ring true for grandparents, parents and children. The author has a knack for depicting realistic family relationships, and the lively, funny and warm illustrations complement the story perfectly. The variety in the pictures, from full-page pictures to a sequence of several pictures per page, carries the story beautifully to the end.

Margaret Hamilton is a former children’s book publisher. She now provides freelance publishing services and runs Pinerolo, the Children’s Book Cottage in Blackheath, NSW

Books+Publishing pre-publication reviews are supported by the Copyright Agency Cultural Fund.

Category: Reviews