Paul Ranford's story about Shadow the Sheepdog

This was the first book I remember reading through as a young child. I was overcome (in my childish way) by the emotions evoked by the written word - joy, sadness, worry, relief. I read it many many times over the next few years, the first time took me days, the last time it was probably about an hour when I realised, sadly, that I had outgrown the volume. I still remember many of the stories today, about 50 years later. That book turned me into a reader of books - which I still am today.