War Dog

War Dog – The True Story of Judy, hero of WW2

My debut picture book is the true story of one dog’s incredible bravery, set in the Second World War in the South–East Asian theatre of the Pacific War. After the fall of Singapore, Judy and her crew become prisoners of war.

Judy is a dog who lives on a ship called HMS Grasshopper.
As the ship’s mascot, Judy has many duties.
She catches rats, watches out for soldiers who may fall overboard, and she listens out for danger.

Tom Palmer (Author)
Carolina Rabei (Illustrator)

Published by Scholastic
14 August 2025
ISBN 0702325945

“A brilliant book to explore with young children” Fiona Sharp

To celebrate the publication of my debut picture book, War Dog, I am offering a limited number of special souvenir reader’s packs. Order yours here.

Order a signed and dedicated copy of War Dog, personalised to order from my local independent children’s bookshop “The Thoughtful Spot” here.

“Tom Palmer and Carolina Rabei have created a beautiful picture book about real life dog Judy who was taken prisoner of war in Japan during WW2” Louise Nettleton

Based on the true story, my debut picture book is a tribute to a remarkable hero of WWII – Judy
Judy is magnificently brought to life with Carolina Rabei’s mesmerising illustrations
Learn more about the role of animals who have been involved in conflict with a non-fiction spread at the back of the book

As the ship’s mascot, Judy has many duties. She catches rats, watches out for soldiers who may fall overboard, and she listens out for danger. Judy loves her crew, and they love her.

She knows that she brings comfort to the men, making her job very important during these hard times.

But when her soldiers are taken prisoner and she is separated from her beloved Frank, she must find the strength to keep going.

She is their only hope.

This beautiful picture book is a testament to the love and loyalty of dogs and the importance of animal companions.

Judy was awarded the Dickin medal, “For magnificent courage and endurance in Japanese prison camps, which helped to maintain morale among her fellow prisoners, and also for saving many lives through her intelligence and watchfulness.”

“the most precious picture book post” Kate Heap

In the News

Interview with the RSPCA for their supporter magazine here

Teach Primary article by Kate Heap

Judy’s story with Carolina Rabei’s illustrations were in The Mirror on Saturday 2 August 2025 here

Judy and I were on the BBC Breakfast couch on 11 August 2025.

Catch up here.

I spoke about my new book on BBC Radio 5 Live with Tony Livesey (1’43:30 to 1’52:50) on catch up now here.

School visits around War Dog and Remembrance Day

Read here

“a beautifully illustrated biography of Judy, the only animal who has ever been made an official prisoner of war. It’s a story of loyalty, love and danger, and simply perfect for sharing with class” Jon Biddle

Literacy Resources

Teachwire’s fantastic resources from Kate Heap featuring a range of cross-curricular activities for KS1 and KS2, all based on War Dog.

Download here .

Let’s draw Judy with Carolina Rabei

Cover Prediction Activity
Lots of question prompts to guess, from who do you think would enjoy reading this book to how would you feel if you were the dog?

No answer is wrong!

Download here

Judy Colouring
This is Judy. Colour her brown patches and spots and mark the 80^th Anniversary of VJ Day in 2025 with a special border or background.

Download here

War Dog – Dickin Medal Activity

Learn about Judy’s Dickin medal and follow the instructions to colour it in and then design your own medal for a brave animal or person of your choice.

Download here

War Dog – Looking out for each other Activity

Discover how Judy looked out for others and think about those who are looking after you!

Download here

Follow Judy’s Journey from China to East Africa

“A special story inspired by real life events and a brave dog” Anne Thompson

Gallery of children’s work

Year 4 pupils from Almondsbury Primary School produced these letters, written as if the children were Frank and writing home to his family. They are currently in the process of writing diary entries. Well done Almondsbury for your beautiful work and the understanding you have shown of what life must have been life for Frank aboard HMS Grasshopper. And thanks for sharing it with us!

Selections and awards

August 2025- selected by The Observer for their picture books of the month.

And War Dog was chosen by Jon Biddle in his fantastic weekly picturebook assembly suggestions for 2025-2026 to mark the International Day of Peace (21.09.25). See his full list here.

Tell us about Judy the dog

I’d first mentioned Judy in another book called D-Day Dog, about a parachuting dog called Glen.

Judy started off as a ship’s mascot – a pet to bring comfort to soldiers on a ship. Then, when the war broke out in 1939, poor Judy was caught up in it and was the first-ever animal to become a prisoner of war.

What did you enjoy most about writing the book?

When I was researching Judy’s story, it made me think about how wonderful my own pets are. Judy gave so much to the soldiers on board. But I wouldn’t want my dog to be in her situation.

I also enjoyed writing War Dog as it’s my first proper picture book. It’s been interesting to see the way Carolina Rabei’s illustrations and my words work to tell the story together.

Do you think animals can be war heroes?

This is a tricky question! The Animals In War Memorial in London reads: ‘They had no choice’, and I think that sums up the reality for animals and many people. I was inspired by Michael Morpurgo’s book and play War Horse. By looking at both British and German soldiers, from a horse’s point of view, I think that story shows how hard war is on everyone.

Why do you like writing about animals?

My pets are a big part of my life, and I think that’s why I feature animals in lots of my books. We lost a very dear cat Gus a few years ago but I still remember him with love. My spaniel Finn is the inspiration for ‘Finn’ in D-Day Dog and we have a 15-year-old cat called Katniss.

They’ve really helped me and my family through some difficult moments – like the Covid outbreak and health scares. Having a silly spaniel around adds comic relief!

V J Day Blog #1

It is now 80 years on since their arrival of 300 child holocaust survivors in Lake District. And you can read my blog on the Windermere Children and the writing of After the War for Barrington Stoke here.

VJ Day Blog #2

I’m pleased to have done a blog for BBC Bitesize. On five books about conflict for children that I think are outstanding. Including Rosemary Sutcliff, @balirai and others.

Read it here:

More VJ Day resources follow below …

Meet me launch events

Saturday 16 August 2025
10-3pm Bankfield Museum Halifax WW2 VJ Day event with Thoughtful Spot

More chances to meet me here

“These illustrations by @CarolinaRabei tell a story themselves – and that palette is stunning. War story supremo @tompalmerauthor‘s first venture into picture books.” Tanya Efthymiou

Reviews

“So beautiful and contains a powerful story. This is a key book to share in the autumn term for Remembrance Day” @scopeforimagination

“A brilliant book to explore with young children” Fiona Sharp

“Tom Palmer and Carolina Rabei have created a beautiful picture book about real life dog Judy who was taken prisoner of war in Japan during WW2” Louise Nettleton

“the most precious picture book post” Kate Heap

“These illustrations by @CarolinaRabei tell a story themselves – and that palette is stunning. War story supremo @tompalmerauthor‘s first venture into picture books.” Tanya Efthymiou

Buy the Book

Pre-order Signed and dedicated copies of all my books are available personalised to order from my local independent children’s bookshop “The Thoughtful Spot” here.

Amazon

Overseas :
Australia: Boomerang
Canada: Amazon Canada
New Zealand: Wheelers
USA : Indigo books

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