World Book Day: Wollaston's Horse Detective is the best in class

Elementary school children had an unusual visitor at their World Book Day assembly: a horse.

Cody, along with his sheepdog Tess and author Natasha Fountain, met children at Wollaston Primary School in Northamptonshire.

Cody and Tess investigate crimes together in Ms. Fountain's book.

World Book Day has been held in the UK since 1997 and aims to encourage young people to develop a lifelong love of reading.

Cody's owner, Natasha Fountain, was confident he would cope well with school visits, but took the opportunity to practice for his entrance.

She said: “I brought him in on Monday and I thought he was going to go in from the outside through the door.” [of the assembly hall], but I had to walk him down the hall. He was great, just as I expected. ”

The idea for this book came from Ms. Fountain's experience as a PCSO. [Police Community Support Officer]when she was allowed to patrol Cody.

“So we've been on patrol for three years, and that's when the idea of ​​horses investigating crimes was born,” she said.

World Book Day may have become famous, or infamous, for requiring children to dress up as their favorite fictional characters, but Wollaston Primary School took a different tack this year.

Kate Bryan, a reading teacher at the school, said: “With the cost of living this year, we decided to come in our pajamas rather than put pressure on families to dress up.''

Among those wearing nightwear were the heads of a boy and a girl, Darwin and Willow.

Willow said: “I love the theme of reading. It allows you to enter another world in your head and take your focus off of everything that's going on.”