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Critically Recognized
  • The Messenger by Lyndsay Roberts Rayne book cover
  • The Messenger by Lyndsay Roberts Rayne book cover
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The Messenger

by Lyndsay Roberts Rayne

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A wartime story told largely through pictures

$18.74 USD
$31.24 USD $18.74 USD
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Awards & Recognition

  • Critical praise

    Kirkus Reviews starred review

    Starred review; described as a “masterwork of visual storytelling.”

AlbakiReads Editorial

A wartime story told largely through pictures

Set during World War I, the book draws on the history of messenger dogs, who carried communications across battlefields. Its mostly wordless, paneled illustrations trace a dog’s passage from a child’s home into military service, where training brings the animal and a new handler together. The wartime setting places their bond alongside the risks faced by people and animals serving at the front. The story’s central threads are companionship, courage, and the bond between a dog and its handler.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • Children ages 9–12 interested in historical fiction about World War I
  • Readers who enjoy picture books told mostly through illustrations
  • Dog lovers interested in stories of companionship and courage

Themes

World War IMessenger dogsCompanionshipCourage and service

Based on publisher information and book metadata.

Book overview

Two starred reviews!

Luminously illustrated and mostly wordless, this stirring debut picture book is a "masterwork of visual storytelling" (Kirkus Reviews, starred review) inspired by the true stories of World War I messenger dogs and is a testament to courage and love in the face of great odds.

During World War I, messenger dogs acted as couriers on the battlefield, carrying vital messages between handlers and saving countless lives in the process. When a little girl hears the call for messenger dogs, she selflessly donates her beloved pet.

The dog and her new handler develop a close bond during their training. Together, they face fear and uncertainty over the course of the war, and when the handler gets injured on the frontlines, it's his steadfast four-legged companion who comes to his rescue.

Moving and timeless, this picture book told in paneled illustrations celebrates the power of friendship and the bravery and determination of man's best friend.
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