The Messenger

From brilliant debut talent Lyndsay Roberts Rayne, this is the incredible moving story of how one small WWI messenger dog made a huge sacrifice. It's a story of war, friendship, comfort and courage. For thousands of years, animals have found themselves caught up in human conflicts and have accompanied us in our darkest hours.

In WWI, over 30,000 dogs served Britain, France and Germany. These dogs - rescues, pets or ex-police dogs - had crucial roles. The Messenger, with brilliant sensitivity and powerful, filmic illustrations, follows one dog from his idyllic puppyhood on a rural farm to a war dog training camp, and from there by train to the trenches.

It is there that the dog, and its human, face the ultimate challenge of what it is really like to be on the front line. This stunningly illustrated, wordless story is a beautiful exploration of the unbreakable bond between humans and animals, and is a gentle but still very real introduction to themes of war for readers of all ages. A book to be treasured forever.