Gaston wakes up one morning in his barn home and decides to go on a journey. His friends aren’t sure about his sudden decision and are worried for him. But Gaston will not be swayed and he sets off on his quest to find a beach he favours in his memory.

Along the way he meets others who are keen to join him. A butterfly travelling companion is very helpful for finding the way to go, and a hedgehog is good company despite Gaston’s early misgivings.

Together they encounter castles and an evil cat who is said to have swallowed an ogre. This cat is evil indeed, never far from his treasure chest of stolen wonders. They meet a snake who has a terrible reputation (don’t most snakes?) but is in fact helpful and kind. They ride raging rivers on a home made raft and must make snap decisions as a group in order to survive.

Gaston may have set out alone with a plan in mind, but his new friends all add in new adventures and experiences, which ultimately are much better than his final destination.

Based around stories the author told his young son when he was small, Gaston the dog is off on an adventure. Gaston tells the story directly to the reader, and begins with when he used to live in a barn in France with other animals he deemed close friends. His decision to find the beach he once loved is a sudden one, believing he might even be home that night. His friends are all French, and Gaston explains the French words he uses in his story.

What reads as an adventure of a dog, a hedgehog and a butterfly, becomes so much more as we get into the story. He meets others along the way, both good and bad, and eventually makes it to the beach. But like the old adage goes – “It’s not all about the destination, it’s about the journey.”

What seems like a simple animal adventure story, actually has layers beneath of a journey in all our lives. It’s about the people we meet, and how multi-layered they are with their future intentions and their past. It’s about challenges we encounter along the way and what we make of them, who helps with pure kindness in mind, or with their own hidden plans. There are secrets and guilt about having that secret, only to realise everyone is thinking the same.

There is the rose-coloured glasses scenario, thinking of something from our past and wanting to return to it, only to discover it not’s as we remembered. This is where an environmental thread is woven into the story.

Of course, it depends on the age of the reader and their own experiences on what they glean from this story – but no matter what age or level, I’m sure they will enjoy the fairytale references, an animal-action adventure, and the gentle humour too.

Author – Michael Rosen

Illustrator – Viviane Schwarz

Age – 7+

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(2024, Walker Books, Animals, Adventure, Action, Friendship, Betrayal, Bullies, Courage, Secret, Dog, Butterfly, Hedgehog, Journey, Beach, Cat, Ogre, Castle, Puss in Boots, Fairytale, Treasure, Raft, Multi-layered, Life)