A DOG LIKE SAM

TOEN KWAM SAM (A DOG LIKE SAM)

year:

2011

genre:

children's book, 128 p.

Publisher:

Querido, Amsterdam

illustrator:
Philip Hopman

age:

US cover

8+
awards:
Zilveren Griffel 2012 (Silver Slate Award, best books for children)
List of best books, chosen by Estonian child care (Estonia)
Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People 2017 (USA)
rights sold:
German (Carlsen)
French (L'école des loisirs)
Estonian (Päike ja Pilv)
English (USA) (Eerdmans)
Czech (Petrkov)
Afrikaans (Protea Boekhuis), and the other ten languages of South-Africa: Ndebele, Northern Sotho, Sotho, Swazi, Tsonga, Tswana, Venda, Xhosa, Zulu and African English (South African Department of Arts and Culture).

Estonian cover

This story is based on the real events that occurred when I was visiting my brother's family in Canada. This beautiful dog appeared - and it decided to stay. But it had a heartwrenching history, that urged my nephew Kix (the young main character in the book) to act, because no-one else but him could save Sam... The book is very dear to me. It got great response, together with the second volume (SAMS MYSTERIES), which belongs to this first book as a twin story. The beautiful black and white illustrations were made by Philip Hopman, whose pencil masters all animals and all children.



German cover

- The Dutch Translation Fund made a special on this book - here.
- A full professional translation in English by David Colmer is available.
- In 2012 the folllow-up to this book came out: SAMS MYSTERIES.
- The South-African Department of Arts and Culture chose this book to be translated in all eleven official languages of South-Africa and spread amongst school children in the entire country.