Bogtrotter (Margaret Wild, illus by Judith Rossell, Walker Books)

Some of us spend our lives doing the same thing all day long, every day, day in, day out. We yearn for something different but don’t know how to find it. Bogtrotter is just such a creature. He runs across the bog, up the bog, down the bog and around the bog, all day, until it’s time to go home. This new story by the inimitable award-winning author Margaret Wild explores what can happen when we accept new challenges and try new things. How she comes up with a new idea for every book, after having written over 70 of them, is a wonder. As usual, her story is simple, subtle and with layers of meaning. Think outside the square. Or outside the bog in this case. Bogtrotter’s life is changed by the simplest encounter and although he still runs, he fills his day with a variety of fun things, making new discoveries and meeting new friends. Judith Rossell’s soft and expressive watercolour illustrations depict Bogtrotter’s days with sensitivity, action and humour. The creatures he meets are friendly and approachable and the landscape is suitably green and ‘boggy’. This book is recommended for all ages, to read aloud and to share or for individual reading for children aged six and over. 

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