Plumdog by Emma Chichester Clark

Has anyone ever drawn dogs better than Emma Chichester Clark? She's especially good at the ears.

This diary of a year in the life of her dog Plum is endlessly charming and endearing. Anyone who has ever had a dog will recognise Plum's concerns; her war against foxes, her long campaign to be allowed to sleep on the bed, her strong preference for sausages, her love of water and her loathing of being Left Behind.

Chichester Clark's pictures have a lovely clarity, and the relationship between dog and human is convincing and touching. You'll love it even if you don't like dogs. (What do you mean you don't like dogs? What's wrong with you?).

It's great for children of 8+, but all right-thinking adults will enjoy it too.