Noakes At Large

 

Noakes At Large was a one-off book published by Hamish Hamilton Children's books in 1980. The book came out two years after Noakes had left Blue Peter. He had in the meantime featured in his own tv show Go With Noakes, 31 episodes of which ran between 1976 and 1980 and half overlapping with Blue Peter, though there is not a single mention of either programme in this book. Noakes famously fell out with Biddy Baxter following a dispute about his canine pal Shep, eventually handing back the dog for someone else to care for. He then purchased a new dog named Skip who looked very much like Shep and he used Skip on adverts for Spillers dog food.

The cover of this book, Noakes At Large, interestingly features two dogs who look like Shep. Throughout the book there are numerous photos and cartoons of John with one dog, though there are no references to it by name. Can we read in to this the theory that the two dogs pictured on the front cover might be both Shep and Skip, whilst the rest of the book leaves an ambiguity around which is the companion to his latest adventures.

Even without the Blue Peter branding and the ambiguity around the identification of his hallmark dog, the Noakes At Large book is a superb work of general knowledge artwork and narrative. A mix of characteristic Noakes travel and adventure, along with factual tales of history and science, the text is dense and advanced and it is clearly aimed at the older age group. It is apparent that Noakes had a skillful team of designers and writers, including great cartoon sketches of a youthful looking Noakes by Toni Goffe, capturing John's exuberant and funny character even if the cartoons had taken about 20 years off his age. The book seems very dated nowadays, especially when we compare it with the electronic mediums which inform and entertain the young generation in the modern age, but it would still be difficult to beat it on the depth of knowledge contained herewith. 

I bet you didn't know that the Niagra Falls is switched off at night time and the water diverted to run a hydro-electric power station? Or that a woodworm is not a worm, it's a beetle? 

Noakes explores the Grand Canyon, gets lost in a maze, flies with the Red Arrows and goes up in hot air balloon. He tells us the history of clowns and the origins of the St John Ambulance Brigade. There is the slight feel of a Blue Peter book with some of this, but without the makes and colouring-in pages, the paper quality is of high standard so I predict vintage copies of this will be knocking around occasionally on E:Bay for years to come.               

A great retrospective read from a Blue Peter legend and his dog(s).       

A youthful looking John Noakes with Shep, er, I mean Skip.

Cartoon by Toni Goffe