The Tales of Mr Walker

The Tales of Mr Walker: a hotel dog with a nose for adventure by Jess Black
Illustrated by Sara Acton
Published by Penguin Random House
Date: 29 October 2018
R.R.P. $24.99

As a child I always thought there was something pretty special about a book with several stories in it.  The Tales of Mr Walker: a hotel dog with a nose for adventure has 4 stories about one special dog, whose time in a grand hotel starts off a little shaky.  Fortunately for Mr Walker hotel dogs always seem to have a great sense of adventure so when the most unexpected situations arise, he is ready.

Like any dog, Mr Walker is excitable and has to keep himself in check so as not to lick new friends on the face with kindness – because first impressions are most important.  In the first story it takes Mr Walker a little while to get used to the “Park”, slipping and sliding all over the place; the park being the Park Hyatt Melbourne and not at all what he was thinking.  As each new story progresses, Mr Walker makes new friends, sneezeds at perfume,  tries to fix any misadventures, and finds his forever home.

There are a lot of positive aspects to this book, one being that the writing is really easy to read.  This is because the font seems slightly larger than I normally find in children’s books and it was bold.  It also reads very easily in a friendly narrative and suits a variety of age groups from 7 and over.

It was heartwarming to learn that this book was inspired by a real life Mr Walker, a Guide Dog Ambassador.  Even better is that the royalties from the sale of this book goes to Guide Dog Victoria.  Not only do you get to read about the adventures of Mr Walker, but you also get to help make a difference in other people’s lives and a child is never to young to do so.  At the back of the book you can also learn more about the real Mr Walker and the Guide Dogs Australia.

Simply, I love all that this book stands for.  It teaches children how to be kind to animals, demonstrates kindness, shows how it is important for everyone to be loved and cared for, and how to give back through services like the Royal Guide Dogs Australia.  Thank you Jess Black and Sara Acton for bringing us the adventures of Mr Walker.

Thank you Penguin Random House for the opportunity to read and review this book.