Cobweb by Michael MorpurgoSynopsis: ” A powerful, moving adventure inspired by the extraordinary true story of the French Drummer Boy of Waterloo, Cobweb is a stunning tale of courage and kindness – a book about humanity, animals, and the heartbreak of war, from a writer at the height of his powers.
“They call me Cobweb. I’ll tell you why later. I may be a dog, but I know and understand a lot more than people think I do.”
Britain. 1815. After years of loss and sacrifice, the end of the war with Napoleon is approaching. Cobweb knows nothing of the war – he loves being a young puppy and playing with his owner, Bethan, exploring the countryside and chasing rabbits. But when he is taken away from Bethan and sold, Cobweb must learn to become a Drover’s Dog – herding sheep and cattle for hundreds of miles on the long, treacherous journey to London. And after the Napoleonic wars finally come to an end with the Battle of Waterloo, Cobweb meets an unexpected stranger with an incredible tale to tell on his journey home . . .”

My Review

This was a lovely audiobook that I found on the BookBeat app.

As the above synopsis reads, the story is set during the Napoleonic Wars and told by Cobweb, a Welsh Corgi, who lives on a farm with his owner Bethan, and her father Tad. It the story of his adventures on and around the farm and when he becomes a drover’s dog on the long road to and from London and meets a French drummer boy from Napoleon’s army.

Bethan and her father Tad are still grieving over the deaths at sea of family members, but Bethan is comforted by Cobweb. Her father tries to get rid of Cobweb but he manges to either escape or be rescued by Bethan. Until Tad remarries  a horrible women who doesn’t want Cobweb in the house and sells him to Farmer Morgan. That’s when Cobweb ends up becoming a drovers dog and when his real adventures begin.

I loved Cobweb, he was a lovely dog who loved Bethan and had a wonderful life on the farm in Wales. He was curious and loyal and I loved the way he told his own story. It was very similar to Black Beauty, in that it was an animal recounting his adventures rather than a person.

Iestyn Arwel, a new-to-me narrator, was perfect for this story.  

I’ve mentioned before that I really like the way Michael Morpurgo writes, so I’ve saved more of his audiobooks on the BookBeat app.

Highly recommend this if you enjoy middle grade stories featuring animals.