AdoraBULL

We have all heard stories of pets who go into a funk when their human companions start school. The days are long when an animal accustomed to having a friend nearby is suddenly alone for hours and hours. Some pets become dejected, wondering if they’ve done something wrong.

A boy and a bull are the inseparable pals in Alison Donald’s version of a pet desperate for attention. The premise and the play on the word ‘adorable’ is engaging, but the narrative could have been expanded by only a few sentences which would allow the story to unfold more comprehensively. The appealing (and adorable) illustrations by Alex Willmore are not enough at certain points for the reader to realize what’s happening.

The choice of a seemingly aloof farm animal as the needy friend is a humorous starting point to the story, one in which Alfred the bull thinks his friend Tom has not only abandoned him but is looking for a new pet - an adorable one, at that. But Alfred doesn’t understand the meaning of the word “adorable” and looks it up on the farmer’s cellphone - he’s a very modern bull.

The narrative needs another sentence or two to indicate that Alfred is trying to make himself adorable. It’s not perfectly clear why Alfred is drawing pictures of cows, rabbits, koalas and other animals and posting them in the barn. Alfred attempts to solve his problem with a math equation that is drawn upside down, which means getting the joke will be a challenge to an early reader. If an adult (this reviewer) reading the book several times has trouble decoding the image, it’s likely a child will as well.

It turns out that Tom has been concerned for Alfred’s happiness all along. His search has been to find the cutest, snuggliest, most adorable pet to keep his friend company while Tom is away at school. Tom has brought home a tiny kitten, and the big bull bonds with it immediately; Tom can go on his journey through life, and Alfred can continue on his, giving love and being adored.

Willmore infuses personality into his characters, especially poor Alfred whose fur is appropriately scruffy and randomly arranged. His hooves and tail are drawn in strokes of colour, adding to the bull’s anthropomorphic qualities. Willmore’s sense of humour shows in Alfred’s trundle thought the cabbage patch, pushing a confused calf in a wheelbarrow while baffled sheep wonder why their ordered world is being turned upside down.

AdoraBULL will make a good read-aloud for young children who will enjoy Alfred’s antics and learn from Tom’s positive example of what it means to be a good friend.