"Everyone deserves their happy ever after is the celebratory message of this re-working of a long-forgotten LGBTQ+ fairytale."
Radiant with inclusivity and adventure, Pete Jordi Wood’s Disneyesque The Dog and the Sailor picture book reworks an old European fairytale to tell a story of gay romance, selflessness and finding your happy ever after with your one true love. In this case, a young sailor who finally gets to marry his prince.
Set against the backdrop of a witch-queen’s curse, the story begins with young Ruan dreaming of a life at sea, and so he leaves his Cornish village and mum, only for his ship to hit a reef and sink. After clinging to the wreckage, Ruan drifts to a foreign land and befriends a talking dog who presents him with a bag of golden coins, no less!
But this is only the beginning of a dramatic quest that sees Ruan fall into ruination before rising high when he overcomes his weaknesses — and comes good on his responsibility to care for his poor mother — to marry his handsome prince.
Packed with positive messages, page-turning peril and Disneyesque illustrations, The Dog and the Sailor is an inclusive joy.
