Rosie Runs was not what I was expecting when I picked this book up to read to my grandchildren. I thought it was going to be about animals that are exploited and what their lives could be like, but it was light on the activism. Rosie lives a sad life as a racing greyhound. One day she escapes and runs into the world. She travels and experiences many things which my grandchildren thought was funny. First she was stuck in a traffic circle which we talked about the dangers of the streets for kids and animals, she saw the forests, spent time at a circus and more. The kids enjoyed her adventures but besides the oldest one (10 YO) missed the aspect about living in captivity. We talked about how to treat animals, rescuing animals and loving our pets. We discussed animals living in a circus or zoo and eventually even looked at greyhound races on the internet. The kids really liked the illustrations that looked like they were drawn by children. If you are learning about exploitation of animals and proper treatment of them, this book will start that conversation.

A sweet children's story from Finland about a greyhound called Rosie, who has had enough of running round and round in circles chasing a decoy hare, and decides to keep on running straight out of the racetrack and to freedom.
The illustrations have a wonderful childlike feel to them - full of colourful crayon strokes, but the level of detail makes it clear they came from a more mature hand. The story teaches children a bit about animal cruelty and how some old traditional forms of entertainment might not be worth continuing in the modern day.
The reader also gets to meet the real-life inspiration for the story - a greyhound called Rosie who was owned by a criminal gang, used and abused as an illegal hunt dog. Parents will want to consider how much of the real Rosie they share with their children, as there are some more mature elements to the real dog's backstory.

This book begins with two pages aimed at adults, where we meet the real Rosie, and discover her sad tale of abuse and neglect that culminated in a very happy ending. Then the children's book begins with the story of a fictional Rosie who jumps the track during a dog race, and just keeps running.

Oh, how I wish the book had been a retelling of Rosie's real life - that story was compelling and touching. What we have here is neither; it's basically just a dog running everywhere. And, the amateurish illustrations did nothing to improve the tale.

i love the artwork! the background story of Rosie who inspired this story really packed a punch and made me think (and feeling sad while at it). this is a heartwarming story to read in one sitting with the little ones!

thank you to NetGalley for the arc!

The book promised to be about animal rights, and it partly is.
We meet Rosie at the dog races - we see how miserable her life is, until one day she escapes and runs until she finds freedom.
Although there is an obvious theme of "dogs are not meant to be exploited and kept in such conditions", it's really light - I guess it will be the kids' parents' job to start a discussion on the topic.
The story is mainly about her running and witnessing some daily-life scenes while doing so, and the ending is fairly abrupt. I can only assume and hope that Rosie found a better life with the dogs in the park.
I liked the introduction with the real story that inspired the book, I liked the idea of it (although I'm not sure it managed to deliver it effectively), but unfortunately I didn't like the drawings. It's only my personal taste, though.
I think the book is an easy introduction for kids to a broader topic of animal exploitation.

Lovely and heartwarming. Rosie Runs first caught my eye with its cover, and once I read the synopsis and learned that the Rosie of this story was based on a real-life Rosie, I knew that I really wanted to read her tale.

I have long despised animals being forced into the cruelty of racing, or hunts and very much appreciated that the story of the real Rosie is part of this, to know that she was adopted, safe, and beloved. Rosie's story is a moral and humane lesson steeped in the importance of being kind to animals and keeping animal rights laws in place without ever being overbearing.

An excellent read-aloud choice for children (be sure to have time for questions and talking time after). The illustrations are vividly colorful, engaging even for the very young, and accompany the story perfectly.

Rosie's tale will stay with its readers, young and older alike.




Thank you to Elsewhere Editions (Archipelago) and NetGalley for the DRC!

Rosie is a greyhound who was bred racing and more breeding. She lives an oppressive life, racing tirelessly by day and in a stressful cage at night. No one should be surprised when one day, upon finishing a race, she makes a break for it.

Run, Rosie, run!

This book is about her adventure trying to find a safe place outside her slavery, and we are all cheering for her to find comfort somewhere in her newly achieved freedom.

The author provides a forward to show us Rosie's escape is based upon a real-life Rosie who found a loving forever home with a Finnish philosopher. Knowing this makes the picture book about the horrifying "sport" of dog racing itself easier to stomach for the parent, and easier to cope with for a child. It's a hard topic, but one that should be addressed with children. Knowing how to respect animals and understanding the idea of freedom for all beings is key to becoming a kind and caring adult.

Hmmm… A book of two halves here, as the first two pages bear the same number of words than the rest, if not more. Initially this is the true story of a woman fostering and loving a greyhound cross, first in the UK and then in her native Finland. The main piece, from the author/illustrator and friend of her inspiration, is different – about a racing greyhound who flees the track one day, and barely stops running until finding some nice happiness at the end. You can't really say the second is the perfect result from the first, and as regards the illustrations, the word 'perfect' unfortunately is not in the same vocabulary. It's not offensively bad, but neither story here suggested to me a must-buy, and the way they prove to be so different just means nothing here really works for me.

I have very mixed feelings about this book. I liked the section "An Ode to Rosie" which came at the beginning of the book; at that point, I thought i was already reading the book. I became confused when the story actually started though because there was no delineation between the two sections... perhaps because I was reading on my phone? The layout added to my confusion because it was distracting: different color fonts, font changes, line formatting, etc.

For me, the story itself lacked plot. It is just a series of sequential events, and ends abruptly.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Random House for allowing me early access to the ARC ebook version of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Rosie Runs

An exuberant blend of a true animal story and animal fiction, photographs and funky, childlike, crayoned illustrations coming from Finland. Rosie is a greyhound dog, rescued from a breeding farm. Rosie loves to run. The story takes off with Rosie running on a track with some doggie friends and ends with Rosie finding herself in a special place.

Children and caretakers will enjoy this book.

I enjoy the sentiment and the story of this book. I do wish the drawings were a little cleaner. But overall I did enjoy this book.

I feel a bit mixed about this title. It is based on a true story, the details of which are found in the book’s introduction. If this part of the book is shared with young children, it needs to be discussed as it includes information about an animal’s mistreatment…but also eventually a happier life.

The book itself is based on this true story. It is illustrated in an appealingly child-like style. Readers/listeners watch as Rosie escapes the track where she races, as she looks for freedom and a better life (definitely some metaphor there!). Will she find what she hopes for? Kids will travel on her adventure and find out. Again, issues of kindness and how people treat animals (both good and bad) may come up as talking points when sharing this book.

One thing is for sure…Rosie’s real life rescuer loved her.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Archipelago for this title. All opinions are my own.

Rosie is a dog who has been bred for the racetrack, and lives in cramped and stressful circumstances. She is not even able to rest properly at night, due to the restlessness of other dogs around her, as well as the guards making their rounds.

Racing around the track one day, Rosie not only wins her race, but simply keeps running. Desperate not to be recaptured, she runs through city streets, forests, train stations and villages.

Finally, Rosie finds herself in a park where some friendly dogs are playing. She realises for the first time that dogs can also run for fun! And this is when Rosie decides to run around and play with the other dogs, in a celebration of her newfound freedom.

The book draws inspiration from the true story of a dog named Rosie who escaped from the greyhound racing arena, and was able to find a forever home with a human who really loved her.

The story of the real Rosie is actually quite touching, and I wish that more of that had been brought into this story. I also did not particularly enjoy the more childish illustrations, though some of the sketches were very nice.

But the book does bring up important issues about freedom, the treatment of animals and the need to eradicate so-called 'sports' like greyhound racing. It provides a good opportunity to unpack these issues with children, and to explore the importance of kindness and issues of animal welfare. For that reason, I think it would be a really good book to use as a teaching tool.

Illustrated with drawings that remind me of my own growing up in the countryside, this is a beautiful story of hope for a dog who has been exploited by humans (a greyhound at the races, sleeping in a cage at night) and how she escapes and finds her place. Loved the palpable appreciation of the animal world the author has.

This was so precious! Rosie is the best dog ever and this is the perfect read for your little ones! The illustrations were cute and the story was cozy.

The sweet, thought provoking, tale of Rosie, a greyhound who dreams of a life beyond the race track. I loved seeing Rosie's adventure into the great unknown and how she learns that with freedom running can be enjoyable—just part of being a dog, which is actually a foreign concept for her.
Lots of great lessons in this one, and I absolutely loved the crayon artwork in this book, but there were a couple pages where the text was placed on top of the art, which made it hard to read. To increase accessibility/readability it would be nice to build in a bit more white space on those few pages.

A lovely book with vibrant artwork that is full of detail. A perfect book to share with a wide range of ages as there is depth to the story. The biographical details of Rosie at the start of the book make this suitable for older children and for sparking discussions in an educational setting. I admit I had a tear in my eye when I read the biography.

The cover for this book really captivated me. The beginning of the book shares the true story of the dog, “Rosie” who escaped an abusive home and finds an owner her loves her. The book itself took a different approach. Rosie frees herself, but we aren’t really entirely sure why she’s running. Page after page she’s running through different areas a park, by a train, she even takes a swim. By the end of the book she finds two other possibly stray dogs in a park they call “home.” I felt like the story was lacking a motive, a climax, all the things that make a story great! My kids quickly lost interest in the story as well. I was hoping the storyline would follow the original story it was inspired by. I received this book in advance from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I love the illustrators choice to use a child-like style of drawing. I think it compliments the storyline.

Rosie a racing dog (a greyhound). She introduces her self by explaining the highs of racing (crowds cheering, running full tilt toward the mechanical rabbit, etc.). She also explains that at night she doesn’t get much rest in her small crate with the sounds of other race dogs barking around her. 

Without warning, the next day, she decides during the race to keep running without turning back. For pages and pages she runs, freely. Rosie is seemly content to explore until she reaches a park where she meets a couple of other dogs. This is a sweet little story of one dogs need for freedom and friendship.

This was a sweet story about a dog who runs away from the racetrack to live free. The illustrations were very unique and I’m not actually sure if I liked them or not. I can appreciate them. I liked the message of rescuing dogs and treating them with kindness.