Outback rescue by Darrel and Sally Odgers

Ill. by Janine Dawson. Pup patrol series. Scholastic, 2015. ISBN 9781743623022
(Age: 6-8) Highly recommended. Australian stories, Outback Life, Dogs, Rescue Animals, Search and Rescue. The Pup Patrol series are positively fun Australian stories narrated by Stamp the loveable Border Collie. James his nineteen year old owner is exploring the country in the Fourby the 4WD, with mixed breed terrier Ace. They are in Far North Queensland ready to venture into the outback off to Normanton and The Gulf. Cyclone Julia has caused flooding on some of the roads and when James is forced to detour, they meet some great new friends along the way.
They spend some time with Bobby Corella and his family at Camp Billabong. Ace, of course is ready to get into the action while Stamp knows he needs to be a good example, even though he really wants to herd the free range hens. When Stamp and Ace encounter Burnu and Girra the camp dogs, they are introduced to new perspectives and dog understandings. After farewelling their new friends, they travel down dusty tracks for several days and when Ace needs a break they discover an abandoned car. A real bush search and rescue mission follows.
Darryl and Sally's attention to detail with the dogs' behaviour and their actions, as well as their true accounts of the dangers of the outback create another great Pup Patrol adventure. Telling the narrative from Stamp's point of view engages the reader's interest and the abundance of doggy puns makes this a great book to read aloud to a class. Janine Dawson's pen and ink illustrations, especially the camp dogs singing in the moonlight and Stamp and Ace's interactions and range of expressions add excitement to the story.
Rhyllis Bignell