You can do it, Rosie! by Elena Browne and Brian Fitzgerald

‘Let’s go on an adventure!’ says Aoife. But poor Rosie is an old dog. Can she do it?

With a little imagination and lots of help from everyone they meet along the way, of course she can!

A trip to the park can be just as magical as any adventure to the mountains or the sea - as long as Rosie is there!

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Full disclosure: I know Elena in real life, and she is exactly as nice as you think she is from this book.

Rosie is an elderly dog now, and she can't keep up with her young owner's energy. But with some gentle persuasion from Aoife's father, and some help from people in the neighbourhood, they have a wonderful outing anyway.

As with most of O'Brien's picture books, the illustrations are amazing. From the orange cat who follows them along on their trip, to the bookshop stocked only with O'Brien titles (including, mind-bendingly, You can do it, Rosie!) there are details to look at on every spread. The tone of the pictures matches the story perfectly, with the soft colours and realistic rather than cartoony style.

This is a great story to show that imagination can make up for a lot - I can imagine parents whipping it out when kids are whining for long trips! "I know you want to go to Disneyworld, little Jimmy, but look! Aoife and Rosie played pretend games and they had just as much fun! Let's pretend we're at Disneyworld and this way we won't have to queue!"

I love this one, I think it's going to do really well for Christmas and beyond. Gorgeous.

You can do it, Rosie! is available now. I received a free copy and am giving an honest review.