Doggy tale on Wairarapa coast inspires book

A DOG'S LIFE: Toughen Up, Andrew! by Anne Manchester, pictured reading to her friend's dogs, is the tale of a pampered pooch's adventures on the Wairarapa Coast.

A family holiday in South Wairarapa with a pampered lap dog has inspired Anne Manchester's first children's book.

Manchester, an Eastbourne-based editor, had her short novel Toughen Up, Andrew! published this year by boutique Wellington publisher Makaro Press.

The novel is the tale of tale of Andrew, a mollycoddled, ineffectual Pekingese -- inspired by her children's pet dog -- who is moulded into a "real dog" through a series of thrills and spills on the Wairarapa Coast.

Manchester said the book was based on a holiday she, her sons and the real-life Andrew took on Lake Ferry 10 years ago, where her boys tried to "toughen up" their pooch by exposing him to crayfishing, seal colonies and rugged beaches.

"It's a pretty quirky story -- talking about it, it sounded a bit ridiculous and absurd," Manchester said. "I was telling some friends, and they said 'that'd make a terrific children's book'.

"I think children will appreciate it, as it's a very outdoorsy, adventurous story, and Wairarapa is the perfect setting -- it's wild and wonderful."

Manchester is a trained journalist and works as editor for Kai Tiaki Nursing New Zealand.

She started work on Toughen Up, Andrew! in 2006, penning most of her first manuscript on her ferry commute to work.

"It took a bit of effort -- I sweated over every word," Manchester said.

"Kids are not an easy audience -- they've got a limited attention span, so you have to get your language right and keep things fresh."

Manchester had her manuscript assessed, but stashed it away in a drawer "for later".

It wasn't until her first grandchild was born two years ago that she decided to revisit Andrew's story.

"My grandson motivated me -- I wanted to finish the book to read to him."

In Toughen Up, Andrew!, brothers David and James decide to turn Andrew, their lazy pushover of a dog, into a "brave soldier".

For his training, Andrew is introduced to crayfish and giant eels, does battle with fierce seals, and fights for his life in a fishing boat on the rough seas.

"He gets tested to prove he deserves the name of dog," Manchester said. "Things get quite dramatic."

She said she hoped Wairarapa readers would enjoy the familiar settings of Lake Ferry, the Cape Palliser seal colony and lighthouse, and Ngawi with its crayfishing boats.

Also appearing in the story is long-time Palliser Bay crayfisherman and family friend Bob Buckley, who received a copy of the book from Manchester at last weekend's Featherston Booktown.

"He's lived in the area his whole life, so he was my mentor," she said. "I'd constantly ring him up and ask, 'have I described this place properly?'"

Manchester and fellow Makaro author Julie Lamb ran a craft workshop at Booktown, where children created art works based on their books -- both featuring dogs.