2nd September 2021, Scallywag Press, 28 pages, Hardback, Review copy
Summary from Scallywag Press
When Lily takes a walk with her dog, Nicky, she notices many lovely things. But poor Nicky only sees monsters lurking in every corner. Which version of the walk is true, Lily's or Nicky's, or both?
There is just the right amount of horror to provide a thrill, but also the safety of realising that Nicky's visions are imaginary. Until a flap reveals a real surprise at the end!
Nayu's thoughts
Aside from Lily having a faithful companion on her walks, Lily Takes A Walk appealed because I've read and reviewed Satoshi's work before so knew I would almost definitely love this title (and I do!) Lily definitely is a fictional character because unless in a sleepy town no parents would let their child walk around anywhere, even with their dog. Nicky is extremely protective of Lily: throughout Lily's walks Nicky is the one who keeps danger at bay by barking. Lily never sees the dangers because what she sees is safe: she sees bats, Nicky sees a vampire. Lily sees ducks on one side of a bridge, Nicky sees what looks like a dinosaur on the other side.
Each page has Lily see something completely different to Nicky. Nicky is a superb guard dog! I loved the part where Lily's parents ask how her day went, and she was clearly just chatting but Nicky had thought bubbles of all the monsters they had kept away from Lily. There is one monster that Nicky can't keep away who appears at the end in a fold out section of the book: that made me giggle a lot because I love seeing that creature in a house in novels because there are often funny expressions, and that is the case here. Satoshi's distinctive colourful style matches with an engaging tale that will want to be read more than ones. I wish we all lived in the world Lily lives in - so long as there are companions like Nicky to keep us safe!
Editing note: It's only as I've gone to Scallywag's website I've seen that this book was written in the 80s! I wish it had been one of my childhood reads. I also assumed what Nicky saw was true too before reading the book blurb. This makes it an extrea good book to show that our imaginations can get carried away in what dangers lurk in the world, although there are most definitely some dangers that means children shouldn't wander about alone.
Suggested read
Be sure to check out Satoshi's other work including The Smile Shop by Satoshi Kitamura (Children's, Picture book, 10E/10E)
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