posted on 29 Mar 2018

AdoraBULL by Alison Donald, illustrated by Alex Willmore

A package of review copies from Maverick Books always brings a smile to my face because they are a brand that can be relied upon for upbeat and entertaining stories. The cover of this one promises another tale about friendship with an illustration of a little boy and a bull sitting together on a wall gazing towards one another with evident affection.

As the story unfolds we learn that the boy,Tom, and the bull, Alfred, have lots in common. They spend carefree days playing with toys, having fun in the fields of the farm where they live and looking up at the stars - that is, until Tom starts going to school and everything starts to change. One day he returns home and explains to his parents that he needs a pet that has to be ‘adorable’ and I like the way that Alfred is shown glaring through the window at the cosy family scene as he realises he's got a fight on his hands to retain Tom's affection.

Action needs to be taken fast if Alfred stands any chance of being a contender in the adorability stakes. He does his research about the meaning of the word on the farmer’s phone and is singularly unimpressed with what he finds out. At first it seems that the word is connected to sentimental images of ‘kittens surrounded by marshmallows, hamsters on tiny swings, and a puppy in a teacup’. But when he comes across a picture of ‘a big goat pushing a baby goat in a trolley’ he is inspired to try something similar. As you might expect, the effect of him crashing round the very muddy farm with an uncooperative baby calf is a disaster.

He is undeterred by his first experiment in being seen as desirably ‘cute’ and continues to try to prove his adorableness with a new curly haired beribboned look - unsuccessful yet again. His final attempt is to use Tom’s tree swing to gain the desired effect seen with the picture of the hamster, but he just succeeds in breaking it.

Alfred reflects on his many other qualities that include being reliable and dependable and concludes that he will never be adorable as required. Sometimes, one just has to be philosophical and accept one’s limitations. However all is not lost because when kind Tom presents him with a kitten to keep him company , he becomes besotted with the little creature and, lo-and-behold, the two of them become ‘ adorable’ without him even trying!

This is the third book by Alison Donald and like The New LiBEARian is one that will encourage children to play with language and humour in a very entertaining way. The witty illustrations by Alex Willmore add another dimension to the story and help to make Alfred into a memorable picture book character. I really look forward to sharing it with young children who I know will want to will linger over the pictures pointing out details that are not in the written text. There is also plenty to talk about after reading this deceptively simple story, for instance, they will be delighted to find out that Tom really does care about his friend and that the experience of starting school doesn’t mean leaving home behind. There are strong underlying messages about being confident and persistent as well but ultimately, it is a very funny story with a happy ending which is always welcome.

Karen Argent

March 2018