Rex [Large Print]

There are umpteen different paperback covers for this book. I have one from 1968 and one from 1970, both from Corgi, UK - but it doesn't matter: the story is the same. Joyce Stranger (recently deceased) was an inexplicably underrated writer of an avalanche of animal books, mostly canine; some fiction, some not. The only reason I can give for her obscurity is that she has been slotted into 'children's' category. I'm not saying that children wouldn't like these books, but they are not candy floss. I lent 'Rex' to two people in their mid 70's and they both adored it. Without giving too much away, Rex is a feral collie (his mother fled captivity) who is adopted by a child, and then shows his genius as a sheepdog. It is set in a fictional but utterly realistic rural British village featuring many of the same characters as her first novel, 'The Running Foxes'. It is plainly written and quite rivetting. It never borders on excess, nor strays into doldrums. I thoroughly recommend any edition of this book to anyone who likes border collies, working dogs, or who lived in a rural England which has all but disappeared. It's quite wonderful, and IMHO would suit any reader from mid-teens to any adult age.