Cowboy Pug: The Dog Who Rode for Glory

Laura James's Cowboy Pug: The Dog Who Rode for Glory is a giddy horse-and-bandits romp for 6 year olds starring a pug who would honestly much rather be having a nap.

What happens

Pug lives at No. 10, The Crescent with Lady Miranda. She has a very big imagination and a pony called Pony. When Pony goes lame charging at make-believe bandits by the rose bed, she decides she needs a new horse RIGHT NOW.

So it's off to the riding stables in the sedan chair (carried, as always, by Running Footman Will and Running Footman Liam). Pug has a cowboy hat on. He isn't convinced it suits him.

The horse they find is the biggest Pug has ever seen, and it eats his hat. Lady Miranda names him Horsey. Then a cowboy called Frank tries a magic trick, Horsey bolts into a trailer and the doors slam shut behind them. They've been rustled!

What follows is a very silly chase to a county fair. There's a police officer desperate to make her first arrest, a fairground train heading straight for Pug and a showjumping round he never meant to enter.

Pug never says more than the odd "Woof!" but you always know what he's thinking. He's worried. He's hungry. He's daydreaming about jam tarts at the worst possible moment. Lady Miranda thinks they're fighting off bandits. Pug would quite like to go home for tea. That's where most of the giggles are.

Lady Miranda is bossy and dramatic and super sure of herself. Who else would spot bandits at quarter past three and simply charge? But she adores Pug and he'd do anything for her, which keeps it sweet as well as silly.

Horsey is lovely too. Frank thinks he's too slow, and if nobody takes him on he'll be put out to pasture. You're rooting for him from the moment Pug reaches out a paw to stroke his mane.

For a child who's just moving on to chapter books, this is a very friendly one. There are six short chapters, the jokes come quickly and there's always something happening (a bull, a lasso and a Victoria sponge all get involved).

What to read next

If they'd like another pug with a contest on his mind, try Pamela Butchart's Pugly Bakes a Cake. Pugly tells his own story, and he's quite sure his ten-layer cake can win a TV baking show, whatever Clem the cat says.