Adorabull

PreS-Gr 1--Alfred the bull has a good life on a spacious farm with his best friend, a boy named Tom. The two have always been close, playing together, sharing toys, and enjoying the outdoors. Things begin to change when Tom starts school. Alfred has to wait all day for his friend to come home. One day, Tom announces that he wants an adorable pet. Alfred does what any bull would do. He borrows the farmer's cell phone and does a search for adorable pets. The pictures gave Alfred an idea. He could become so charming Tom wouldn't need or want a cute pet. He takes up painting and tries to act cute. He even goes to great lengths to look adorable but everyone laughs at him. Alfred knows he is beaten when Tom comes home with a kitten. But who is the pet really for? Young children will love this silly but very entertaining book. Watching Alfred do whatever it takes to be adorable makes for an amusing tale. The illustrations are perfect for a young child. The pictures are clean, large, and incorporate just enough detail without making them overstimulating. The animals have unique personalities and expressions, especially Alfred. VERDICT This is a sweet story about a great friendship. The two pals show how far each will go to make the other happy. A worthwhile purchase.--Barbara Spiri, Southborough Library, MA

A perplexed bull ponders the secret of being cute.Human Tom and bull Alfred have grown up together on a farm, forming a tight friendship. When Tom starts school, Alfred is bored. Then, betrayal: Tom announces he needs a pet that is "absolutely, totally / adorable!" Alfred, with his shaggy brown fur and boulder of a body, immediately takes offense. He looks up "adorable" on the farmer's borrowed phone and finds pictures of fluffy animals in aww-inspiring escapades. Alfred tries to imitate them, with destructive success. Sill stumped, Alfred takes a trip to the hair salon (where readers can see some racial diversity beyond Tom's white family) for "a new look" that involves lots of curls and bows, but he receives laughter for his troubles. Then Tom offers the discouraged bull a gift: a white kitten! It turns out that Tom's intention was to give Alfred a friend so he wouldn't be lonely. As a pair, the animals are "adorable." The unaffected text never overwhelms the pictures and could offer a transition into independent reading with mostly easily decoded vocabulary. Intentionally juvenile-looking pictures are as rough as Alfred's temper and as unrefined as his perception of the situation. The characters' small hands and hooves as well as simplified facial features (small black dots and lines) make them all nonthreatening, matching the book's sentiment.Like its protagonist, this book tries hard to be endearing. (Picture book. 3-7) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.