Bamse Came Too

'Bamse Came Too' is a lavishly illustrated children's picture book authored by Anna Mandell and illustrated by Richard Maby. The book tells of the adventures of a St Bernard dog that was adopted as the mascot of the Free Norwegian Forces after the German invasion of Norway in 1940. Bamse, whose name means 'teddy bear' in Norwegian, grew too big to feed on wartime rationing in Norway and was taken aboard by his owner Captain Erling Hafto. He and Bamse sailed from Honningsvag in Norway to Montrose in Scotland, as part of the escort for King Haakon, when he sought refuge in Britain.

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During the voyage, Bamse alerts the crew to the plight of a Polish airman who has ditched his Spitfire in the North Sea, and on another occasion he jumps into the sea to support a drowning sailor whose ship has been torpedoed. Hafto, his ship and Bamse were stationed in Montrose throughout the war. Bamse was credited with saving several people from drowning and was awarded the PDSA Medal for Bravery.

It is a splendid tale of a wonderful dog, and one which has a happy ending, set against a backdrop of the Second World War. The book is superbly produced on 400gsm glossy paper with a stitched spine, which means it can withstand being opened and laid flat without breaking. It really is more like a coffee table book than a picture book for children. In addition, it covers one of the historical topics in the UK primary school syllabus. The book is produced in paperback, in a square format, 52 pages and is on sale in Amazon at £5.99 plus postage as well as Waterstones and other good booksellers.