Pre-1970s children's fantasy novel, possibly British, about a character named "Patrick Pog" and an eerie forest
Whenever I visited my grandmother as a child (early 2000s, in Australia), I made her read me the same children's fantasy novel over and over again. Unfortunately I was very young, so my memory of the actual plot is extremely vague.
The strongest detail I remember is that the story was about a little boy called something like "Patrick Pog." I’ve had absolutely no luck searching for this, so I’m now wondering if the name is misremembered.
I think the book may have been British. The atmosphere felt similar to older British children's fantasy stories, though that may just be vibes.
The protagonist MAY have been an anthropomorphic animal rather than a human child. Possibly a bear, otter, weasel, or some other small animal. If so, he was still roughly child sized and wore clothes. I vaguely remember a little cap/hat, and maybe overalls, but I could easily be inventing that from memory.
My strongest story memory is that there was a section where he either travelled through or became lost in an eerie forest. I remember being scared for him, but things are a lot scarier to a child!
Other fragments I vaguely remember is that it may have been set in an industrial British harbour/port town. Boats and docks feel important, and there maybe have possibly been a carnival/fair/travelling show in or near the forest.
I have no idea whether these details are actually true to the book, or if childhood memory has merged things from other media over time.
The book itself was hardcover, with a faded sage green or muted green cloth cover, and possibly missing a dust jacket. No colour illustrations that I remember, MAY have had occasional simple line drawings. I think it may have been around 200–300 pages.
The copy itself could have been very old. It may even have belonged to my great grandmother originally, so I think it could potentially date anywhere from the 1940s–1970s, or possibly earlier.
I know this is an extreme long shot, but I’ve been trying to identify this book for years. My grandmother passed away when I was still pretty young, and by the time I was old enough to think to ask about the book, nobody in the family remembered what it was called, only that I apparently made my poor grandma read it to me constantly.