The Lighthouse Dog is the latest in the series of West Coast picture books that Orca does so well. This is both an advantage and a disadvantage. The book is well presented and captures West Coast scenery nicely. However, the themes are so familiar that I almost felt I had read the story before.

Vancouver Island author Betty Waterton (author of A Salmon for Simon) tells the story of a lighthouse keeper’s wife and her rowboat trip into town to buy a small puppy and a large pizza. She returns with a very large Newfoundland puppy who eats the pizza. The lighthouse keeper is not impressed, especially when the dog begins to torment the cat, puts starfish in his bed, and eats the entire Thanksgiving dinner. He decides the dog must go back to the market.

Fortunately for the dog, a storm prevents the trip back, a fisherman is shipwrecked, and, when the lighthouse keeper’s boat refuses to start, the dog swims out and rescues the fisherman. The dog is a hero and gets a medal for the rescue.

The Lighthouse Dog is a stock story with few surprises. It has some nice touches such as the repeated introduction of “almost-instant seaweed soup,” and some vivid images: “oars in the oarlocks gently squeaking.” However, some passages add little to the story – mainly around Flossie, an unnecessary character in an otherwise simple tale.

Dean Griffiths’ illustrations are fresh, lively, and clear. The lighthouse itself is a marvellous Victorian edifice, although it seems to be almost entirely surrounded by land. The lighthouse keeper and his wife are sympathetically drawn, and the keeper’s long-suffering face and the dog, with its amazing, slobbery tongue and slightly shapeless floppiness, are highlights throughout.

The Lighthouse Dog is a well-drawn, pleasantly told story. It will have wide appeal, but there is little that will remain in a child’s memory or imagination after the first couple of readings.