The Trouble with Wenlocks by Joel Stewart

Stanley Wells is an ordinary boy that has some extraordinary things happen to him. He is on a train when everyone else is made sleepy by the mysterious wenlocks, and then, when they awake, they appear to have some spark missing from their eyes so Stanley is drawn into investigating what has happened. This leads him on a strange adventure with his rather odd acquaintances - Dr Moon and Morecambe the talking dog - where they discover that Albert's daughter Umiko may be the cause of the problem as she is trying to help mankind by taking away their sorrow.

This is a very gentle tale illustrating the point that we are the sum of all our experience both happy and sad, and that without the sadness we are changed, somehow less.

Born to Run by Michael Morpurgo

A beautifully written and thought provoking life of a greyhound. Illustrations by Michael Foreman - including the chance to see Best Mate run by flicking the pages.

Best Mate is rescued from drowning, then kidnapped as it is obvious he is speedy and could win races. The dog shows us both the best and worst of human life through the problems he faces in his life. I am not one for reading animal stories in the main - but this is a thoughtful exploration of our relationship to animals, and each other.