Robin Hood with Lots of Dogs

Steve Pitt is a Toronto-based freelance writer and an award-winning journalist. He has written many young adult and children's books, including Day of the Flying Fox: The True Story of World War II Pilot Charley Fox.

This new version of Robin Hood (a companion volume to Pokeweed Press’s
Treasure Island with Lots of Dogs) follows the story of the original
classic. A young Robin Hood pup is forced into a life of crime by the
Sheriff of Nottingham’s injustices. Robin is bested by Little John in
a quarterstaff duel over a rushing creek. Friar Tuck and numerous other
lovable outlaws join Robin’s pack in the forest. The idle rich are
robbed, the underdogs are avenged, and Robin manages to fleece the
Sheriff of Nottingham out of his money and best dinnerware.

Unfortunately, while the canine slant is intriguing at first, the prose
fails to engage over the long haul. By the midpoint of the book, the dog
theme seems incidental to the actual storyline. For all the impact it
has on the text, the characters could have just as easily been owls or
groundhogs.

John Bianchi’s art is, as always, extremely clever, yet there seems
to be no reason why dogs were substituted for people. The final product
is competent but lacking the usual Edwards/Bianchi magic. Recommended.