The One Hundred and One Dalmatians.

Nostalgia is a dangerous thing. Some things are never quite as you remember them, and when they are revisited you are left feeling disappointed and almost short changed that something you remember so fondly isn't actually at all as you remember it.
I'm rather pleased to say that The Hundred and One Dalmatians doesn't fall into this category. I first read it just shy of about 30 years ago when I was 7 or 8 and I was instantly entranced by it's language and it's wonderful inventiveness of the dogs world.
Very briefly the plot starts with two dalmatian dogs. Pongo and Missis who are recently married, and their pets, Mr and Mrs Dearly, who are also recently married. Shortly after this marriage Missis is due to have puppies. She has 15; a huge amount. Then we come to one of the greatest villains of children's literature. Cruella de Vil is a truly nasty piece of work and positively scary. Reading this again only last night, she still made me shiver slightly. Cruella loves furs. All sorts of furs, and she'd rather like a spotted dalmatian coat. As nasty a thought then as it is today.
In a distressing scene, the puppies are abducted. This leaves the adult dogs the task of launching one of, in my opinion, the greatest rescue missions ever written. Pongo and Missis guided by the twilight barking are able to discover the whereabouts of their puppies and make an epic journey to the place they are hidden. But are they able to get not only them, but 82 other puppies back to London in time for Christmas and avoid the horrible Cruella? Well it's a children's book. What do you think?
If you've only ever seen the Disney films, then I feel a little sorry for you. The book is umpteens times better, with more characters and a far scarier villainess, but it is the little touches that make this book so good. We only ever find the names of three of the puppies, but when the Cadpig is being revived by Mr Dearly, you really are rooting for the tiny pup.
It's a lovely book, full of period charm and yet even though it was written over 50 years ago, it's fresh and exciting. Egmont have also released a lovely hardback edition of the book which is rather splendid. The only disappointment is the illustrations. The current edition has a cartoony style which I dislike. I had a copy as a child with original editions and the images were far lovelier. Anyway that's a small complaint. Buy it, read it, love it. It really doesn't matter how old you are there's something in there for everyone.