The book is inspired by the true stories of the last battle of Bismarck, a little brown wooden dachshund carved by two prisoners of war, and the 1966 World Cup.

On one of their excursions to the beach, while Alex is goofing off, imitating Geoff Hurst and Nobby Stiles from their recent victory at the World Cup, they meet two old men, Walter and Marty.

Walter says that as he and Manfred lay on the deck of the ship, they hear the captain give the order to leave right away due to U-boats in the area, and the rest of their crew, nearly two-thousand men, are left to drown.

On their last day at the beach, Manfred picked up a pebble to throw in the sea, and unexpectedly hit a mine that killed him.

Twenty-five years go by, Walter has died, but Charley is reunited with Marty in London, where they go to the Imperial War Museum to present Little Manfred as a gift to be put on display.

Morpurgo recalls the old man had "tears rolling down his face", as he finished the story and said: "I stood there and I watched the nearly 2000 men and women in the water and we left them.

[4] Toby Clements wrote in The Daily Telegraph that Morpurgo "links the sinking of the Bismarck, the 1966 World Cup and a wooden dog called Little Manfred into a startlingly affecting and effective concoction; he really is the master at this sort of thing; not a word is wasted".

[5] Elspeth Scott of School Librarian said Morpurgo "is not content with an easy feel-good story but also highlights the horrors of war, showing the effects on both sides but also showing how these shared experiences bring together combatants from opposite sides of the conflict; as always, much is implied rather than stated; and Foreman's watercolour illustrations are a perfect counterpoint to the text".

[7] In his review for South China Morning Post, John Millen wrote that it is the "simplest of stories, but it delves deep into the themes of nostalgia, friendship and the nature of war; Morpurgo is experienced enough to keep the tale on the right side of sentimentality, and he is helped by the artwork of illustrator Michael Foreman, whose watercolour sketches enhance the power of the book".

[8] Gemma Ramsamy of The Observer stated the novel is an "intrepid seafaring tale, and Morpurgo is a virtuoso at conjuring vibrant stories that draw on historical events".

[9] Nicola Smyth wrote in The Independent that "Foreman's illustrations, like Morpurgo's prose, manage to unite a dog on the beach, a football match and the sinking of 1,400 men, all in the space of a few pages – a true classic".