Welcome to the World of Five Lucky Strikes
A heart-warming story about friendship, courage, and the adventures of six very special dogs.
From the tiny but brave Lucky who, quite literally, wears his little heart on his chest, to the loyal and lovable pack around him, every dog has a story to tell. Together they discover that even the smallest pup can make a big difference.
This is a tale written for children by children about,
Loyalty, Resilience
Standing up for your friends
And the little moments that make life extraordinary.
So come and meet the pack… Their adventures are just beginning
Meet The Dogs
Flea
(Lucky)Flea is a little dog with a huge personality. Lively, funny, and completely food-driven, he’s always in the middle of the action. Friendly with every dog he meets and fiercely loyal to his family, Flea may be small, but he’s impossible to ignore. Even complete strangers don’t escape Flea’s friendly welcome, the moment they sit down, he cheerfully plonks himself straight onto their lap to say hello.
Dotty
Dotty is serious about two things, her garden and digging holes. She loves nothing more than getting her paws dirty and will happily spend hours digging alongside her best friend Bear. If another dog tries to take her food or toys, she’s not afraid to go a little “street dog” to defend them.
Alfie
Alfie may look very serious, but he’s happiest when he’s out on long walks in the woods with his friends. He loves spending time with his sister Indie, especially when they’re off on adventures together in their mummy’s camper van.
Beau
Beau has his mum completely wrapped around his little paw and follows her everywhere. Full of character and endlessly loyal, he loves playing ball, going for walks, chasing squirrels and barking at pigeons, though he’s strangely terrified of feathers!
Indie
Indie is playful, incredibly loving, and wonderfully kind-natured. She adores her brother Alfie and loves nothing more than travelling around in her mummy’s camper, discovering new places along the way.
Roxie
Roxie is a wonderfully happy dog who shares a very special bond with her mummies. Roxie especially enjoys long walks in the woods with her sister Luna, where there are always new sights, smells and adventures to discover.
Five Lucky Strikes as a Learning Resource
Curriculum - Linked Learning Through Storytelling
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Overview
​Five Lucky Strikes is a heart‑warming children’s story that follows Lucky, a small dog with a big journey. Beyond its narrative charm, the book naturally aligns with the National Curriculum for English (KS1 & KS2), supporting vocabulary growth, comprehension, spoken language, and writing outcomes.
Through its rich characters, emotional depth, and varied settings, children develop key literacy skills while exploring themes of kindness, resilience, and belonging, all found throughout the story.
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​How This Story supports the National Curriculum
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Reading: Vocabulary, Comprehension & Literary Appreciation
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Exposure to rich narrative vocabulary and age‑appropriate descriptive language.
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Opportunities to predict, infer and summarise using Lucky’s feelings, challenges, and relationships.
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Story structure across multiple chapters supports sequencing and text navigation.
Writing: Composition, Purpose & Creativity
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Ideal for character descriptions, diary entries, alternative endings and setting descriptions.
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Engages pupils in planning, drafting, and editing in line with curriculum expectations.
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Encourages creativity through emotive themes and vivid scenes.
Spoken Language: Expression, Discussion & Empathy
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Built‑in prompts for oral storytelling, role‑play, drama, and paired discussion.
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Encourages children to articulate opinions, justify ideas, and explore moral choices.
Key Themes Explored Through the Story
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Kindness & empathy
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Friendship & teamwork
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Courage & resilience
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Family, belonging & identity
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Understanding differences & experiences
These themes make the text deeply engaging and perfect for both literacy and PSHE learning.
Learning Opportunities by Chapter
Each chapter introduces settings and characters that allow teachers to build focused lessons on:
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Word-level work (nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs)
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Grammar (fronted adverbials, sentence types)
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Reading for meaning
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Moral understanding & discussion
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Creative writing tasks
Resources Available
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Vocabulary Booklets (colour‑coded, chapter‑by‑chapter)
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Fronted Adverbials Word Bank
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Adverbs Word Bank
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Illustrated teaching materials
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Printable Word Mats (colour & B/W)
Perfect For
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Primary schools (KS1 & KS2)
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Literacy coordinators
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Teaching assistants
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SEN & EAL intervention groups
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Home learning and family reading