7,000 Pies for Rosie

7,000 Pies for Rosie, by author Cathy Hope is a heartwarming true story about Rosie, an iconic Border Collie from New Zealand's Canterbury Plains. After ten loyal years herding sheep, Rosie retires to the small town of Springfield and discovers a new calling: meeting the TranzAlpine Express twice a day, charming passengers and tourists, and earning a meat pie each visit. Over ten years, she is estimated to have eaten more than 7,000 pies. Jenny Cooper's warm and characterful illustrations bring Rosie's world to life with humour and tenderness, showcasing the railway and many landscapes of New Zealand.

Themes and Life Lessons:
Rosie's story is full of messages children will carry well beyond the final page.

Purpose and work ethic: Rosie models diligence, reliability and the quiet satisfaction of a job done well, both as a working sheepdog and as Springfield's self-appointed welcoming committee.

Being loved and appreciated: Rosie is loved by her community, and the story shows that love and care go both ways. She gives joy freely and receives it in return.

Playfulness and joy: Rosie's enthusiastic daily rituals are a reminder that joyful engagement with the world is not something to outgrow, but to nurture.

The lifecycle of a pet: The book traces Rosie's full life with honesty and gentleness, making it an ideal introduction for children to concepts of ageing, loss, and celebration of a life well lived.

Community and belonging: Rosie becomes a local legend, illustrating how one small act of showing up consistently can create ripples of connection and joy across a whole community.

School Curriculum Links:
This book offers rich cross-curricular opportunities for Junior Primary classrooms:

English: Explore narrative structure, character development and descriptive language. Students can retell Rosie's story, write from her perspective, or compose a letter from a passenger who met her at the station.

Personal and Social Capability: Discuss emotions Rosie experiences and evokes. Explore themes of responsibility, empathy, and what it means to contribute to a community.

Science (Biological Sciences): Rosie's life provides a natural entry point for exploring animal life cycles, the needs of living things, and how animals change over time.

Humanities and Social Sciences (HASS): Discuss New Zealand's geography, culture and the significance of the TranzAlpine railway. Compare rural and town life. Explore what makes a place or animal culturally significant.

Health and Wellbeing: Use Rosie's story to open age-appropriate conversations about pet loss and grief, helping children build emotional literacy and resilience.

I couldn't recommend this book more, for children from 3 years of age and even adults alike, as Rosie's story is a timeless reminder of the joy, loyalty, and purpose that can be found in a life well lived.

Michael Debenham
Primary/Secondary Teacher

7000 Pies for Rosie is the latest book by prolific children’s author Cathy Hope. A true story about Border Collie Rosie , who was bred as a sheep dog in Kirwee New Zealand, the book centres around Rosie’s retirement. Rosie’s need to maintain a sense of purpose leads her to hold a place in NZ history when she becomes famous for rounding up TranzAlpine passengers at the Springfield Railway Station .

Rosie nearly loses this purpose when her health becomes compromised through over indulgence in the pies with which she is rewarded daily. Fortunately she is able to continue when her diet is modified by excluding the pastry from the pies .

Beautiful, intelligent Rosie went on to live for over 20 years, an extraordinary life span for a dog especially one which has eaten over 7000 pies.

This heartwarming story highlights, not only the lifetime need for a sense of purpose, perhaps especially in retirement, but also the different life stages and the fact that each stage may bring joy and also losses in various forms.

Hope’s language is delightful with its rhythms and metre and the reader is treated to words like “kachunk” and “collie-wobbles”.

7000 Pies for Rosie is beautifully illustrated by fellow New Zealander Jenny Cooper, published by Starfish Bay Publishing.

Joan Cavanagh B.A. (Lit) M.Ed

7000 Pies for Rosie written by Cathy Hope and illustrated by Jenny Cooper, is the remarkable true story of Rosie, a loveable border collie who spent her first ten years on a NZ farm rounding up sheep, and her final ten, running to meet the Tranzalpine train twice daily, bringing joy to the passengers in exchange for a delicious meat pie. The illustrations are gorgeous throughout, allowing children to see Rosie just as she was, as they immerse themselves in the nostalgia of the story itself. I love that this story is TRUE and that author, Cathy Hope, has honoured Rosie by sharing it with the world.