Alfred Ollivant's Bob, Son of Battle

June 15, 2014
Over 100 years after his birth in print, Bob, Son of Battle is seeking a new audience. He deserves one.Ollivant's late-19th-century tale-invariably described as a children's "classic"-tells of two sheepherding dogs at the top of their craft, the masters of these dogs and the hatred and jealousy of one for the other, and the quest for the coveted Shepherds' Trophy-not once but thrice. It is also a boy's coming-of-age story, a love story and a mystery of the Black Killer (of sheep). Ollivant is a master storyteller, and he plays a veritable fandango on the heartstrings when the identity of the killer is disclosed. Popular in its day, the work is now virtually unknown. Davis' intention with her adaptation is to bring this worthy tale to new generations of readers. Her major change is the transposition into modern English of Ollivant's extensive use of the Cumbrian dialect. Other unfamiliar English and Scottish words and expressions are also modernized. Is this effort successful? Indeed, yes. The power and sweep of the original remain, and those changes made are thoughtfully and sensitively executed. Is something lost in translation? Yes, that too. Ollivant's use of dialect had beautifully pinned the story to its time and place. Nevertheless, for the modern reader, this new version is a winner.Welcome back, Owd (Old) Bob! (Historical fiction. 10-14)

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January 1, 2015

Gr 3-6-What's a childhood without dog stories, such as Lassie, Old Yeller, and Shiloh? With this new version of Ollivant's Owd Bob: The Grey Dog of Kenmuir, Davis ensures that Bob, son of Battle, is a name to be added to that list. First published in 1889, Ollivant's work follows two sheepdogs and their masters: prickly Adam McAdam and his brutish dog, Red Wull, who herds by force; and kindly James Moore, whose equally skilled but more gallant Bob keeps order through an intuitive understanding of sheep. These two arch rivals are about to go head to head in a contest that will prove which is the superior sheepdog. Adding to the drama, Adam's son, David, who recently lost his mother, attempts to court James's daughter, while by night, sheep are menaced by what appears to be a rogue sheepdog. Though this reissue keeps the original art by Marguerite Kirmse (best known for illustrating Eric Knight's Lassie, Come-Home), Davis translates the Cumbrian and Scottish dialect of the original into modern English, ensuring that this classic canine tale will once more find a home among readers.

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