On holiday in Saltbottle, Grandfather and Roo discover the Unsinkable, the boat which took them to the North Pole in the first book, lying in a sadly dilapidated state and up for sale. At the auction, the short-sighted auctioneer accidentally sellsthe boat to Roo - sold to the old lady in the brown fur coat! Now they have to find the money and the Captain suggests a fishing trip to the Great Cod Banks in the Forgotten Sea. Off they go, but the trip ends in disaster when the boat sinks and Grandfather and Roo are cast away on a desert island. They find their own Man Friday (called Tuesday) but he turns out to be a film director staying in a luxury hotel. Meanwhile, the Captain has found the treasure and rescued the Unsinkable.
Harry Horse wrote and illustrated many books for children, including the popular Little Rabbit picture books and the novels The Last Polar Bears, The Last Castaways, The Last Cowboys, and The Last Gold Diggers. He was also a political cartoonist for several national newspapers in the United Kingdom.
Charming. Imaginative. And downright funny (never laughed so much at a book.) Whenever I feel children's books are getting just a bit too serious, I dip into Harry Horse. Love his work and his adorable Roo.
I love, love, love this series! There's something so endearing about the relationship between Roo and Grandfather and the mischief Roo creates. I highly recommend these chapterbooks for anyone who enjoys canine hijinks. When I found out the author died in 2007 and there's a limited number in this series, my heart broke a little bit. That's just how good they are!
This is a really charming novel, about a grandfather and his dog whom go on wonderful and wacky adventures together. This one in particular is about a sea voyage that goes wrong, when Roo unwittingly buys an old boat and assembles a crew. It's short, sweet and wonderfully warm and witty. However the story of the author, and his tragic life (and death) is truly heart wrenching, and in my mind rather overshadows in some ways, my enjoyment of the book Hence my 3 star rating
This wonderful story told in letters follows the adventures of Grandfather and his intrepid yet easily distracted dog Roo as they go out to sea to hook the King Cod, and end up getting marooned on a near desert island. Horse’s illustrations and marginalia add humor to this whimsical tale of two friends at sea – and Roo even manages to keep track of his squeaky friend Poopy the walrus!
I was so hopeful about this adventure. The story is light and has humorous moments. I kept reading hoping my "assumptions" would be on target and it would get better. So did it? Only one way to find out.