My Special Place

'My Special Place’ written and illustrated by Gina Rees, a farmer’s wife from Hampshire, is set on a farm in beautiful countryside and follows the adventures of her two lovely dogs. The older dog wants to take the younger one to a special place, but this place only appears in the summer time. First they have to be patient and wait through the seasons, watching as the fields are sown in the Autumn, then all is quiet and restful in the Winter and finally the seed starts to appear and grow in the Spring. That’s when the magic begins to happen and the special place slowly starts to show itself until finally in the summer, when the field is flourishing, a wonderful ocean magically appears. The dogs play on the shore for a while but eventually dive in to meet friends like playful dolphins, a wondrous whale and a cheeky octopus. Sadly though, it’s not long before the combine harvester comes through the field to collect the flourishing crop and soon the wonderful ocean starts to disappear. The dogs make it back to the farm, as does the cheeky octopus who then like a game of hide and seek appears in the last few pages. The younger dog is sad the ocean is gone until she is told that ‘it’s gone for now, but not forever’ and that’s when we see seed being put back into the ground again, ready for the ocean to come back next year. The story ends with us meeting a new little puppy that will enjoy being taken on the adventure to the special place next year, but is told for now they will just have to be ..’very, very patient’This story is beautifully illustrated, with pictures that engage and encourage discussion. It is a story that teaches children about the seasons, about being patient and about trusting and believing, but mainly inspires their imagination.