Bloomsbury Children’s Books acquires illustrated story of First World War messenger dogs

Bloomsbury has acquired Lyndsay Roberts Rayne’s "moving wordless story" about a First World War messenger dog.

Sally Beets, senior commissioning editor for children’s non-fiction, acquired world all-language rights from Penny Holroyde at Holroyde Cartey, and the book will be published in September 2026. 

The synopsis stated: "This stunningly illustrated, wordless book is an exploration of the unbreakable bond between humans and animals, and will be a gentle but still very real introduction to themes of war for readers of all ages."

Rayne said: "Dogs are my greatest life-long love, and one lucky day I came across a black and white photograph of two small, scruffy messenger dogs serving in First World War. I then set off on the most incredible research adventure, learning about a whole programme of training and working with dogs to deliver messages in the trenches. There’s a remarkable record of how these dogs were trained with great love and respect, many stories of the strength of the bond that existed between the dogs and their handlers and the hundreds of lives that they saved."

The author has collaborated with an expert consultant at the National Army Museum to ensure for educational accuracy, so that the book ties in with the school curriculum. The book will include a non-fiction spread to contextualise the story, and will feature other stories of real-life service dogs.

Beets added: "The moment this special story landed in my inbox I knew it had the markings of a future classic – it is a stunningly illustrated book with huge heart and deep, emotional themes that will connect with readers all over the world."