So here’s my new book! It was meant to be on the shelves a few months ago, but Covid-19 delays with printing and shipping mean it's only just arrived.
It’s quite different from my last few
nonfiction titles and I still haven’t come up with a short and pithy way to describe
it. Maybe a mixture of NZ history, art – and animals?
The idea for it has been sitting at the back of my mind for years, ever since I wrote a piece on Paddy the Wanderer for the School Journal (a plaque about him sits above a drinking fountain for people - and dogs! opposite the Museum of Wellington) -
- and the idea came back when I was searching for my Antarctic book and found sled dog Hector
in Lyttleton.
And like any Wellingtonian, I often pass this statue at the bottom
of Plimmer steps.
Gradually I started to realise how many dog statues and
sculptures there are in NZ – more than of any other creature, and I started to wonder
why and where they all are. These are the ones I’ve managed to track down - maybe there are more!
I've found out about dogs that were brave heroes and loyal companions, talked to sculptors about how they made their dog sculptures and come across dog statues and sculptures in the most unexpected places.
There are dog statues up and down the country, so if you’re travelling
around NZ on holiday in the next few months, take a copy of this book with you and
see how many you can find.
Our Incredible Dogs
Publisher: New Holland
ISBN: 9781869665395
Hardback
Price: $24.99
(or check with your local bookshop)
