AdoraBULL

Description

Alfred is a bull and bulls are reliable and dependable. When his best friend Tom wants to bring home a new, adorable pet, Alfred realises he may need to up his game if he wants to stay number one in Tom's heart. But can bulls be adorable too?

Born and raised in Ontario, Canada, Alison now lives in Farnham with her British husband and 3 young children. She works as a Paediatric Occupational Therapist and has over 10 years of experience helping children with special needs reach their potential. Alison has been writing stories since she was a child. After years of scribbling story ideas on envelopes and scrap paper, Alison finally joined the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI-BI) in 2014 and with their support, her writing took off. Author of: The New LiBEARian, Pirates in Classroom 3 and AdoraBULL Alex is a Designer/ Illustrator living in Northampton with a passion for character design. After completing a degree in Illustration for Children's Publishing at the North Wales School of Art and Design, Alex went on to work both in-house as a greeting card designer and Illustrator and freelance illustrating books and surface pattern. Illustrator of: The New LiBEARian and AdoraBULL

Whimsical and endearing... This story is humorous and the accompanying illustrations are filled with witty details that are pleasing to both young children and adults alike.' -- Books for Topics AdoraBULL is funny, charming and crammed full of lovely messages about loneliness, friendship and faith. It is also beautifully illustrated by Alex Willmore's earthy soft images which really work exquisitely with Alison Donald's text. But what really makes AdoraBULL stand out is that it has had the courage to do something that is truly rare in picture books, by including modern technology. Most picture books are free of new-fangled tech, staying firmly in a nostalgic pre-internet world. But with AdoraBULL, we see Alfred actually using a smartphone, and the internet. But far from detracting from the story, this little snippet of the 21st century sets up the jokes and laughter, as well as mirroring the readers own world, (when was the last time you looked up a word in a dictionary?) AdoraBULL, is a funny, relevant and charming books, a future classic.' -- Space on the Bookshelf 'This is a completely charming picture book that takes a look at what it means to be adorable, and to be adored. It explores in subtle ways the nature of friendship, and loneliness, and being unique and proud of who you are. Donald's gentle story unfolds around Willmore's bright and bold illustrations. I love Willmore's illustrations and am so pleased to see these two talents working together again. Their previous collaboration - The New LiBEARian is a great favourite of mine. AdoraBULL is another gem for the stable (pun intended!). It is worth mentioning that this is a new one from indie publisher, Maverick. Launched in 2009 by Steve Bicknell. As you know, I am a bit of a fan of indie presses and this one is growing fast and is supporting some really exciting new writers and illustrators. They are well worth keeping an eye on! If you are a teacher or librarian, their resources page is well worth a visit too.' -- Dawn Finch, An Awfully Big Blog Adventure