An imaginative short story inspired by real events, taken from the collection, BEYOND THE STARS, and written and illustrated by two award-winning talents

Told from the perspective of the Russian dog Tsygan, this is the story of the first living creatures to be sent into space - the `star dogs' of the title.

Roddy Doyle's typically accessible voice is complemented by the illuminating illustrations of Steve Simpson, together immersing a new generation of young readers in the incredible true story of the Soviet space dogs, one of the twentieth century's true feats of science.

This book has been graded for interest at 9-13 years.

There are 50 pages in this book. This is a short story book. This book was published 2014 by HarperCollins Publishers .

* For thirty years Steve Simpson has been applying his multi-disciplinary skills to creative projects for a diverse range of clients right across the globe. Steve's innovative, award-winning approach to graphic design, typography and illustration is built on fresh thinking, traditional skills and a healthy dose of fun. Mise agus an Dragun, written by Patricia Forde and illustrated by Steve was shortlisted for the CBI Book of the Year Awards in 2013. Roddy Doyle's adult novel, Paddy Clark Ha Ha Ha, a story about a ten-year old boy living Ireland, won Doyle the Booker Prize, the United Kingdom's greatest literary honor.