
- Title: Pog
- Author: Pádraig Kenny
- Publisher: Chicken House Books
- Publication Date: 4th April 2019
Description:
David and Penny’s strange new home is surrounded by forest. It’s the childhood home of their mother, who’s recently died. But other creatures live here … magical creatures, like tiny, hairy Pog.
He’s the one of the First Folk, protecting the boundary between the worlds. As the children explore, they discover monsters slipping through from the place on the other side of the cellar door. Meanwhile, David is drawn into the woods by something darker, which insists there’s a way he can bring his mother back …
My Thoughts:
What a wonderfully exiting sounding book and gorgeous cover! I have to admit that the cover immediately grabbed my eye and made me want to find out more and the description just sealed the deal, so I decided to treat myself for Independent Bookshop Week (which coincidentally occurs around the time of my birthday!), and got a copy of this book from one of my favourite bookshops.
Following the arrival of David and Penny at their new home, readers are given glimpses of their lives through the eyes of Pog, the small creature who has lived in their house for many years. And it is from Pog’s perspective that a lot of the action takes place, making this such a fun and exciting read. His thoughts about humans and their ways are humorous and his recollections of those who have gone before him like “Grandfa” really make this character stand out.
The narration isn’t limited to Pog though, we see events through the eyes of both David and Penny, see how they cope with the grief of losing their mother and how it’s impacted on their wee family. The author has taken great care to explore their grief in a natural way for children, demonstrating that it can make things seem harder than you’d expect, that at times it’s unfathomable but ultimately for David and Penny, the support of each other and their father is something that will help them get through the hard times.
Wonderfully vivid descriptions of the characters and their antics give readers a real feel for what goes on in this book, it’s hard not to image the scenes as they play out on the pages and draw the readers in. It’s a really beautifully written book, the magical mysticism appeals to a whole variety of readers and although it’s aimed at readers 9+, I really enjoyed it and found it a great book to blast away the cobwebs with!