Belle and Sebastien

The son of a Gypsy woman, Sebastien is found as a newborn baby in the Alps and brought up by Guillaume and his grandchildren Angelina and Jean. Born on the same day, Belle is a beautiful white Pyrenean Mountain Dog who has been neglected and passed on from owner to owner, until one day she escapes from a kennel. When Sebastien rescues the runaway Belle from the wrath of the villagers, the boy and the dog form a lifelong friendship and embark on exciting adventures in the mountains.First published in 1965 to coincide with the internationally successful television series of the same name, Belle and Sebastien is a heart-warming story of camaraderie, adventure and freedom. This edition is illustrated by Helen Stephens and contains extra material for young readers.

Alma Junior Classics series of illustrated classics includes some of the greatest books ever written for younger readers and new translations of unjustly neglected international works. Our aim is to give our list an international feel and offer young readers to opportunity to connect with other cultures and literatures – this applies not only to the titles we chose but also to the illustrators we commission – so that we can bring a bit of novelty into the canon of British children’s literature. All children’s classics contain extra material for young readers, including a profile of the author, a section on the book, a list of characters, a glossary and a test-yourself quiz.