What if dogs could walk and talk and go to work? Well, Raymond the dog has big ambitions beyond his ordinary, canine life in the big city. He wants to take himself for a walk and get his own dinner. And when he’s done all that? Well, he wants a job, just like his owners. But when Raymond begins a high-flying journalism career at Dogue magazine, he soon realizes it’s no walk in the park… With a stylish limited palette and incredible visual humour, children and adults alike will fall in love with Raymond and his laugh-out-loud antics in this absurdly original – yet highly relatable – world.
“Even before you have opened the book, you will be won over by the brilliant sunshine-yellow cover and Raymond […] The delight for readers is partly in acknowledging that we should all be careful what we wish for.” Observer
“This funny, ‘be careful what you wish for’,‘ don’t bite off more than you can chew’ tale, with its New York setting, will resonate with adults as much as children, or perhaps more. The trouble is though, it’s not necessarily all that easy to step off that workaholic, achievement treadmill, which seems always to be driving us onwards towards greater heights . . . There’s plenty to make readers – be they or be they not dog lovers – smile in the comic style scenes of a life as a top dog.” Red Reading Hub
“The message won’t be lost on adult readers while children will delight in Raymond’s extraordinary adventures.” Andrea Reece, LoveReading
“Colourful, clever and witty, Raymond offers something to readers of all ages. While essentially a story about a dog having a once-in-a-lifetime adventure, adults and older readers will pick up a meaningful message about the work/life balance. Children, on the other hand, will enjoy Raymond’s delightful antics and all his fellow canines taking on human behaviours.” BookTrust
“This was a charming story and I finished the book with a smile on my face.[…] This is a great book for 3 years plus and is a delight to read. Dog lovers will particularly enjoy seeing what can happen if dogs can walk and talk!” The Daylight Explorer
“This humorous, engaging tale from Yann and Gwendal Le Bec is accompanied by set of arresting spreads, bursting with visual humour and small but meaningful detail. […]This is anthropomorphism at its absolute best.” Picture Books Blogger
Gwendal Le Bec and Yann Le Bec are artistic brothers from Brittany, France, who have both pursued careers in illustration. Gwendal graduated from the Paris School of Fashion, Design and Creation in 2008, before going on to make books with French children’s publishing houses, Gallimard Jeunesse and Albin Michel Jeunesse. He has also worked on editorial and advertising projects, his clients including The New Yorker, The New York Times and Feuilleton.
Yann is a graduate of the Royal College of Art, London, who has illustrated an edition of Clive James’ Unreliable Memoirs and has been commissioned by clients including Esquire and King's College London.
The siblings joined forces on the picture book Danny, and, along with fellow French illustrator and good friend Jean Jullien, founded the blog, News of the Times. Yann and Gwendal now live in London. Find Gwendal online at gwendallebec.com and on Twitter as @gwendallebec, and Yann online at yannlebec.com.
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