Daggie to the Rescue! (Daggie Dogfoot - Dick King-Smith)

Member Name: Kukana

Product:	Daggie Dogfoot - Dick King-Smith
Date:	02/12/04 (663 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great characters, Light humour, Satisfying plot

Disadvantages: Could be quite disturbing for a sensitive child

Daggie Dogfoot is set, as are so many of Dick King-Smith's books, on a farm. It opens as Mrs Barleylove, one of the pedigree sows, looks at her litter of eight piglets the morning after they're born. While seven of them are beautiful, the eighth is a runt: thin, scrawny, and unlikely to survive. Runt piglets, apparently, are called dags. What's even worse is that this little piglet's front feet don't look like a pig's trotters, but turn inwards like those of a dog.

The other sows, whose characters resemble gossipy middle-aged ladies, discuss this problem for a while, and mention 'the servant' - this turns out to be a farm worker, also known as Pigman, who ministers to their needs each day. The servant, apparently, doesn't like runts. And we gather, through the sows' conversation, that Pigman will 'take him away'... although they have no idea what happens to piglets who are taken away, other than that they never return.

Sure enough, Pigman arrives, does his feeding duties, and then picks up the newly born runt piglet. He takes him towards his shed, and at the end of the first chapter, reaches up for his hardwood club which hangs on a rusty nail.

There would be no story if the piglet was killed, so it's not surprising that Pigman is distracted, and the runt manages not just to escape, but to find his exhausted way back to his mother. She is so amazed at having a 'taken away' piglet return to her that she determines to protect and nurture him, particularly when she realises what a strong and determined character he has. All the other sows are impressed too, and he is named Daggie Dogfoot.

Daggie grows and flourishes, and when his brothers and sisters are taken to be weaned, he remains with his mother, and goes with her to 'Resthaven', a large field where mother sows go to recuperate. Here he makes friends with a duck, and tries to learn to fly.. which, naturally, he cannot manage. However he does turn out have an entirely different, but almost as remarkable, unexpected skill.

Disaster strikes the farm with a flash flood, and - not surprisingly - Daggie is the only one who can attempt to fetch help. An exciting few chapters follow, with a thrilling and satisfying ending.

Dick King-Smith was himself a farmer for twenty years, and thus has a good understanding of the natural characteristics of many animals. One of his skills as an author is the way he manages to create farmyard creatures who are still recognisably of their particular breed, and yet have the ability to communicate and to behave in ways that are remarkably human. There is naturally a great deal of caricature involved, but somehow I find I can relate to the animals in his books as 'people' while never forgetting that they are still animals.

Daggie is, obviously, the main protagonist of the book, and as such is a great role model for children: small, with deformed feet, he could be the victim of severe bullying, but turns out to be a great hero due to his determination and his unusual gifts. His mother is rather typecast as over-protective, and greatly admiring of him, with little character to distinguish her from the other sows; nonetheless it's not hard to relate to her delight in her unusual son.

Another caricature but delightful character is 'The Squire' - the one boar on the farm, who is 'husband' to all the sows, and thus father of all the many piglets, including Daggie. He's created as a bluff old country-type gentleman, who has to be protected from the realities of life, and allowed to believe that he has only fathered perfect piglets. The sows never let him know when a dag has been born, so it's quite a shock to him when he finally meets Daggie. He is eventually won over by his son, and very proud of him.

There are other animals who are introduced later in the book: Felicity, a highly intelligent duck who takes on a role as Daggie's instructor, as well as being his first friend, and Izaac, an otter. These manage to be quite different from the pigs - and from each other - and provide a delightful contrast.

As an adult, I think this is a great book. The idea of a small, insignificant character coming to the rescue of his tormentors and eventually being recognised as a hero is a commonly used plot, but having the characters as anthropomorphic animals makes it fresh and different. I like the irony of Pigman thinking he is in charge, while the pigs consider him their servant, there simply to do whatever they want. I also appreciate the realistic background of farmyard life which certainly doesn't glorify farming in any way, and which shows some of the unpleasant side in the early chapters, although there is no actual violence described.

However I'm not entirely sure what age-group of child it would be best for. The book is in fairly easy language, with about 150 pages, published by Puffin. So it's probably aimed at around the same level as the Roald Dahl books - for children of around 6-10 who can read well by themselves - or possibly as a read-aloud for slightly younger children. Both my sons read this book at around the age of eight or nine, and liked it; both were fluent readers, so it didn't take them very long.

However as my older son is very sensitive, I'm glad he didn't read it at a younger age. Whereas most of the unpleasantness in Roald Dahl books is so exaggerated as to be humorous, there is little humour in the threat to Daggie in the early chapters. The clearly implied fact of runt piglets being clubbed to death by Pigman might well upset some children, since this is something which (I assume) happens in reality. The cliff-hanger ending of the first chapter was something I found unpleasantly suspenseful the first time I read it, even while realising that inevitably, in a children's book, something would intervene to save Daggie from his fate.

So although it's not a long book, I think it's better suited to a child of nearer 10 than 6, perhaps one who has struggled a bit with reading, and is ready for books with good plots and some excitement rather than typical easy-read books. However I'd be hesitant to recommend it for an older child who has had serious reading difficulties, since the hero of the book is a precociously bright piglet who is clearly way ahead of all the other piglets in his abilities.

As a result, I don't feel I can give it more than three stars, much as I like the book myself. As a quick, light read for older children (or even teenagers!) I would certainly recommend it. My younger son, now 16, enjoys it as much as I do. It's well-written, the characters are good, and the plot - given the premises of the book - believable and exciting. But it's the kind of book that would find its way into primary school libraries, and as such could possibly upset sensitive children, whether early readers or late. Of course not all children are over-sensitive or prone to bad dreams, so it does entirely depend on the child.

This book can be bought at around £3.99 from most bookshops, including Amazon.co.uk; it's often found in charity shops too. Recommended, but skim it yourself first before giving it to a small child.

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