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I Can’t Draw, Okay? Tom Watson apologises in the opening chapter of Stick Dog. He then goes on to lay some ground rules with the reader, explaining that:

Stick Dog by Tom Watson

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Buy Stick Dog by Tom Watson at Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

Category: Confident Readers
Rating: 3.5/5
Reviewer: Louise Jones
Reviewed by Louise Jones
Summary: A badly-drawn dog and his friends go on a quest for food in the local park.
Buy? Maybe Borrow? Yes
Pages: 176 Date: January 2013
Publisher: Harper Collins
External links: Author's website
ISBN: 9780007494828

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....this Stick Dog story (with the bad pictures that my art teacher doesn’t like) will also be told in a way that I like (but my English teacher doesn’t).

Good deal?

Excellent. Let’s move on.

This is going to be fun.

With this unusual introduction over, Watson launches headlong into a tale of a badly-drawn dog and his four (equally badly-drawn) doggie friends: Poo-Poo the poodle, Stripes the Dalmatian, Mutt the mongrel and a Dachshund called...Karen. The dogs have but one mission; to infiltrate the barbeque at the local park and grab themselves some burgers.

The style of the book is great fun, with lined pages resembling a school exercise book filled with plenty of random scribbles and scrawls. The author uses a chatty, conversational tone throughout the book, as if he is talking to a close friend, and often gets lost in his own thoughts and asides, which can be quite humorous at times, although the language is very child-like and clearly aimed at the target audience.

Stick Dog is quite a lovable character really. Maybe I like him because I draw dogs in a similar way! He is a sensible sort of character; wise and unflappable despite the chaos going on all around him. I thought the illustrations in the book were quirky and cute and would really appeal to young children.

Unfortunately, the story was not as engaging as the illustrations. I found it all a little flat and nonsensical. The cover art brands Stick Dog as: A really GOOD story with kind of BAD drawings. I would disagree. I liked the artwork but found the story lacklustre and predictable. The intrusive narration becomes a little irritating after a while, although that may be purely my perspective as an adult reading a kid’s book.

I genuinely liked the characters though and would love to see Stick Dog again in the future, but with a stronger storyline. Given the right kind of stories, Stick Dog could prove to be a very popular character indeed. We also have a review of the sequel.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days by Jeff Kinney is written in a similar style to Stick Dog.

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Buy Stick Dog by Tom Watson at Amazon You can read more book reviews or buy Stick Dog by Tom Watson at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
Buy Stick Dog by Tom Watson at Amazon You can read more book reviews or buy Stick Dog by Tom Watson at Amazon.com.

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