Brenda and Edward

Adele Ashby was the former editor of Canadian Materials for Schools and Libraries.

Brenda and Edward are two very happy dogs who live in a large cardboard box behind a French restaurant. Edward works as a night watchdog, and one day he leaves in a hurry for work, forgetting his dinner. Brenda runs after him, gets lost, is nearly run over, is rescued and taken far from home. Edward searches for her and years later, through a remarkable coincidence, is reunited with her, and they live happily ever after.

This is a gentle, cosy story about being lost and found. It is perfect for bed-time reading and for quiet times when children can pore over the colourful pictures, done in warm pinks and browns, that help to tell the story and provide lots of detail on Brenda and Edward’s life in their cardboard box and in the streets. One of the best picture books of 1984.