By Christine Yunn-Yu Sun
Runt, the multi-award-winning children’s book by Craig Silvey, is set in the fictional country town of Upson Downs.
It tells the story of 11-year-old Annie, whose best and only friend is a rescued stray dog named Runt.
Annie lives with her family on a draught-affected sheep farm.
Money is tight and water is scarce, and many in their community have been forced to sell their properties and move away.
Worried the same fate will befall her family, Annie sets out to enter Runt in the Agility Course Grand Championship at the lucrative Krumpets Dog Show in London.
Trouble is, Runt only obeys Annie’s commands if nobody else is watching.
Worse, a fellow competitor named Fergus Fink will do everything in his power to take Annie and Runt out of the race.
Not to mention the family can hardly afford a trip to London, especially with the land baron Earl Robert-Barron greedily eyeing their farm.
That is a lot of pressure on a little girl. Fortunately, Annie is fully supported by her family and community, and she has all the love and loyalty from Runt.
As one of the characters in the book explains to the girl:
“He chose you. And you chose him. That’s why you’re such a brilliant team. As far as Runt is concerned, nobody else matters. Just you. You are his whole world. And he runs and leaps and
plays with you because he’s happy. That’s how he shows you his joy and his gratitude. For him, it’s something just for the two of you to share. It’s not for anyone else.”
Runt is all about being true to yourself and respecting other people’s rights to walk their own paths.
It is also about family and friendship, kindness and optimism, teamwork and community support, and persistence and perseverance in pursuing one’s goal.
More importantly, it is about the Australian spirit of mateship and equality even in the most dire of circumstances.
This is a heart-warming story that makes you laugh out loud while bringing tears to your eyes.
The writing is humorous and clever, showcasing what Silvey describes as “the twangs of language, the dry wit, the understatements, the vary particular rhythm of speech” that are characteristics of our beloved Australian English.
The wordplay is smart and entertaining, perfectly suitable for reading out loud.
For example: “The small brown dog was sneaky and cheeky and infamous. He was a source of irritation and consternation and exasperation. Run was as slippery as an eel and cunning as a fox. He could dart like a rabbit, bounce like a gazelle and climb like a monkey. He was spry and agile and clever… Runt would dodge and weave and feint. He would leap over cars, crawl under fences and scale walls with ease.”
You don’t have to be a “dog person” to enjoy this wonderful story, with delightful illustrations created by renowned artist Sara Acton.
The book’s film adaption is set to release in Australian cinemas in September.
Highly recommended.
