The Boy and the Dog Tree by three-time CBCA Award-winning author FIONA WOOD is a heartwarming story about the special bond between a boy and his dog.
Read on for a Q&A.
MEET FIONA WOOD
What sparked the idea for The Boy and the Dog Tree?
This story started with the character Argos. He was forming as an ancient creature who could become embodied when a child needed him, so story ideas for who would need him, and why they might need him started gathering. Mitch initially thinks the tree has called the wrong boy, because so many kids are worse off than he is, but Argos reassures him, ‘these are your problems, and you may take them seriously, boy. Even a king may be heartsore and afraid.’ I want every reader to know that they deserve to have their problems taken seriously.
How did Argos – this ancient, dog-like creature – first take shape in your imagination?
Argos was prompted by an odd-looking oak tree in a park I walk through frequently. The gnarled and twisted trunk had a shape that reminded me of a dog. So I started wondering, Who are you, how did you get into that tree and what is your story?
Did any particular myths or folklore influence Argos or the world of the book?
When Mitch innocently asks Argos what breed of dog he is, Argos says, ‘I am from the ancient lineage of Cerberus. I am a hunter. I am a fighter. I am a protector. I am a hellhound.’ The link is light, but I did want Argos to have a fierceness and arrogance tempered by a dog-like loyalty and glints of humour. In a former life a witch has given Argos the power of transformation. For inspiration on this I reread Metamorphosis. But overall the world of the book is resolutely contemporary. I like magic that happens in the context of ‘real’ life.
What do you hope readers take away from Argos and Mitch’s unlikely friendship?
Perhaps it’s something like – ‘take people (and dogs) as you find them’ meets ‘be careful what you wish for’. Mitch must re-examine his preconceptions about what it means to have a dog. Argos arrives to guide Mitch and to help him find his voice. He is compassionate and loyal but he can also be imperious and impatient. He keeps Mitch on his toes and is certainly nothing like the biddable little pup that Mitch has always wished for.
What was the most fun or challenging scene to write?
The most fun and the most challenging scene to write was Argos emerging from the tree and becoming embodied. It was so vivid and real in my mind, and the challenge was to evoke for the reader Mitch’s sense of fear and wonderment as he witnesses it happening. I rewrote it many times trying to capture the precise atmosphere. I hope it gives readers goosebumps.
Do you think there’s a particular message or feeling you wanted to leave readers with once they finish the book?
I’d love readers to turn the last page having enjoyed the the friendship that develops between Mitch and Argos and the challenges they face together. It would be great if readers think about what sort of friends they want to have, and what sort of friend they want to be. I hope the magical elements spark each reader’s imagination and inspire the important work of daydreaming. Most of all I want readers to finish this book and think, that was fun – what will I read next?
Read our review of The Boy and the Dog Tree here.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Fiona Wood is a three-time winner of the CBCA Book of the Year for Older Readers. Her interlinked young adult novels, Six Impossible Things, Wildlife and Cloudwish, are published internationally. Take Three Girls, co-written with Cath Crowley and Simmone Howell, was honoured by the International Youth Library as a White Ravens selection.
Fiona’s debut middle fiction title, How to Spell Catastrophe, was shortlisted for the Children’s Peace Literature Award in 2023. She lives in Naarm/Melbourne with her family.
0 Comments