posted on 23 Oct 2018

Lollie the Rough Collie and the Magic Kiss by Persephone Sextou, illustrated by Sarah Bagshaw

Most children respond enthusiastically to a sprinkle of magic in a book and I would guess that those who are feeling unwell or undergoing treatment in hospital probably need this ingredient even more. 

The little girl in this very imaginative story thinks about how she would love to have a rough collie dog. When she is in hospital, this is a great way to distract her from reality and also gives her some important control over her immediate world that probably isn’t so pleasant. The author and illustrator create a vivid picture about what the dog might look like and once he is fixed with many admirable qualities, the girl names him ‘Lollie’.

I really liked the layout of the opening left page where the bold white font is laid against a dark blue background with red hearts and brown paw prints converging together.  The facing page shows the final creation of the dog conjured up in a thought bubble with the girl smiling and wearing flowery pink pyjamas – a collage-like figure in a style that rather reminds me of illustrations by Eric Carle. She goes on to dream about them  going on wonderful adventures at the seaside together  where they ‘see the sun setting on a pillow of orange and purple colours in the evening’ and to visit her grandfather who ‘lives on a farm filled with cherry trees … when the wind blows the petals dance in the air like ballerinas’.

The text is simple and repetitive and designed to encourage children to join in, almost like casting a spell. The illustrations are bold and colourful depicting an ideal relationship between the girl and Lollie as they play happily together in the lush green grass on a sunny Spring day.

But, as in real life, everything does not always go smoothly and so this story includes a dream episode where Lollie gets lost in the fog, and the girl feels bereft. The next day her mother tells her how once her own dog had to be taken to the vets when he had a painful allergic reaction to being stung by a swarm of bees. After a couple of days of medicine and care, she explains, he recovered well and that animals feel pain but can soon feel much better if treated with love, just like people.

The girl absorbs this message and the following night she dreams that she finds Lollie all alone suffering badly from a bee sting and lying under the cherry trees on her grandfather’s farm. The girl realises that she can play her part in helping poor Lollie to recover, decides to be brave and strong about this responsibility and gives her a loving kiss.  As if by magic, as in all the best fairy stories, this kiss is transformative for the dog and she is back to her old self in no time. Not only that but the sun is now shining and the cherry trees are blooming again as she jumps around barking and licking the girl’s face.

This is a story that is carefully constructed to be a therapeutic experience by Dr Persephone Sextou who is an expert in theatre for children in hospitals and hospices. She is the author of ‘Theatre for Children in Hospital. The Gift of Compassion’ and Lollie is her first children’s book (although it was originally published by the Letterpress Project as a pdf).  It is specifically written to support children who are undergoing treatment as a way of helping them to be positive about what must be a difficult and often painful time in their lives. It is also a relevant story for all children who have a good imagination and who like the idea of having a dog themselves - they'll also love Sarah Bagshaw's  distinctive illustrations and could have some fun trying their own drawing and painting using a similar style.

Karen Argent

October 2018