Rory – The Purl Cat

Cats have nine lives!

Whether or not you believe in an afterlife is unimportant in this instance.

Many of us welcome feline family members into our lives and their demise leaves a gaping hole in hearts and homes.

The story commences as Rory leaves his much loved family whilst still in his prime:

‘He didn’t mean to go when he did! In fact, the decision was taken completely out of his paws’

Written to both entertain and provide comfort, the book accompanies him on eight adventures before finally completing his journey.  

He discovers he can travel back and forth through time, take on different appearances and even become a ‘she’.

There are elements of fact, fiction and fantasy including:

Therapy cat for an autistic boy

Ship’s cat on HMS Amethyst in 1949

Survivor from the Great Fire of London

Locked down in London

Trip to space with a rejected astronaut.

Simon the Spider Finds a Friend

Simon is a very friendly, inquisitive, little spider who lives with his family in the garden of Mr and Mrs Wright's house. Simon really enjoys finding out about his surroundings and where better to explore than a lovely big leafy garden filled with flowers, bees, butterflies and all manner of fascinating and interesting things for Simon to find out about.

Previously, in Simon the Spider’s Adventure, Simon learnt an important lesson: always listen to what his mummy told him! Simon had found a way into Mr and Mrs Wright’s house and was very nearly caught with Mrs Wright’s rolling pin!

In this story Simon is enjoying a quiet stroll through the peaceful garden when he decides to have a little rest…Simon is just about to have a nap on a leaf lying in a sunny spot, when out pops a caterpillar from under the leaf that Simon had just climbed onto. Simon is fascinated by Charlie the Caterpillar’s story. Charlie tells Simon all about being a caterpillar and how they evolve into becoming beautiful butterflies. Has Simon found a friend?

Surprise at the Beach

Luke and his rescue dog always love hanging out at the beach when the time allows: plenty of open space to run around, waves crashing gently over soft golden sand, and all practically on his doorstep. What’s not to like?

But one trip is unlike any other – Buddy unexpectedly sniffs out a tiny wee kitten in the sand dunes who is obviously very lost. Tending to the poor creature back at home, Luke starts to feel attached, despite needing to return the kitten to its rightful owners.

Upon leaving the kitten in a household with two very unruly children, he is uneasy about whether or not he’s done the right thing, until he hears the family are trying to find him a new home.  

Will Luke be able to keep the kitten? Or will someone else get to him first…?

Tales of the Forest, the Mountain and the Garden

Tales is a storybook of allegories where animals and humans confront and overcome hard decisions. The UNICORN is feared by other animals until a forest fire gives him the opportunity to show that he is not only one of them, but also their saviour. In NINE WILD PIGLETS, the runt of the litter, through cleverness and cunning, overcomes all odds and becomes the leader of all his siblings. In ONE HUNDRED SQUIRRELS, three armies, Red, Gray and Black, are set to fight to the death for a cottage-sized section of the Forest until four yellow squirrels convince them of the futility of war. In the last story, ONE MILLION BEETLES, all the animals of the Forest and their Hunters meet on the night of The Moon of Blood and, through the intervention of the light of these million fireflies, form an understanding for everlasting peace between them.

The Adventures of Bryn and Crystal

Follow Bryn, a light brown haired dog who is playful and full of energy and Crystal who has silvery black hair and is cunning and more laid back than her brother. These two puppies from the same terrier and poodle litter are growing up together. Imagine yourself with them as they have lots of fun in their animal world among humans.

The Adventures of Foxy

Foxy is a much-loved mischievous pup that doesn’t like to do as he’s told! One morning he decides to go on an adventure and explore life outside his garden. But will he remember how to get home?

His family start looking in all his favourite spots...can you think of where he might be? Join the search for Foxy and help bring him home.

The Adventures of Wigduck

The Adventures of Wigduck is an exciting story about three small animals who are very good friends. Wigduck, Tommy the Ant, and Marcos the Beetle hang out with each other all the time, having fun with whatever they do.

Come and see for yourself all the fun they have!

The Brumby of Summerhill Park

Alexia and her brother, Brad, travel to the Snowy Mountains, where they rescue a starving brumby whom they name Prince of the Brumbies. When Alexia wants to enter in the annual Stockman's Bush Race over the old gold fields, her hopes are dashed when her chosen ride, the retired race horse Stormy, proves too big and naughty for her. Alexia and her best friend Enya work hard to try and prepare the bush brumby Prince in time for the contest.

The Journey Home

Many stories have been written about young boys and their dogs.

But none as remarkable as the one you are about to read.

Decide for yourself and see what happens when a young boy and his dog make…

‘The Journey Home.’

The Moose That Made a Mountain

Angus and Finn are best of friends, and spend their time playing together. Seeing some small mounds of earth, they began jumping from one to another. They were having such fun until, suddenly, tiny heads popped up from the mounds. Angus and Finn had never seen these creatures before – and these creatures were not happy. 

The Secret Life of Squirrels

The grey squirrels on the south coast of Hampshire are having food problems. It’s winter and there is little food – raiding the local bird table is not an option. A big seagull guards the food for the smaller birds. What can the greys do? Someone finds a video on the animal social media ‘Metube’ which claims that the trees growing green acorns grow them all year round – an evergreen food source!

The problem is that greys aren’t allowed on the Isle of Wight where the trees grow. The red squirrels and humans don’t want them there either, as Rufus, red squirrel leader, tells them in no uncertain terms! 

The greys take to boats and try many weird and wonderful ideas to cross the great blue water that separates them. But the reds fight back big time. Who will win?

The Shadowless Bird

Bewildered by the confusion of quarantine, Didi the young bird falls into a series of unusual reactions of disorientation, as a consequence of the psychological conditions of the lockdown, due to the virus threatening everybody’s life. Lacking the joy of living normally, he feels taken aback by the loss of his shadow.

Didi departs on an adventure to search for his lost shadow, proceeding beyond his fears to seek his truth, intersecting with the absolute truth of the individual, in the shadow of society and of collective and personal knowledge at the same time. He searches for the truth, which is also a very personal truth, even when applied to scientifically proven questions. And while everyone is influenced by his personal shadow and the shadows of modern life’s difficulties and challenges, in the light of the Coronavirus pandemic, that has swept the globe and eclipsed the standards of knowledge, by imposing totally different norms from all the concepts of freedom, that have been experienced, applied and fought for, across generations and civilisations, Didi is fighting his own battle of finding himself.

Starting with his family and friends, then further into the unknown of people and places, each character puts his own signature on the matter of the shadow, sought and aimed differently from person to person, reflecting the richness of life and inciting the call for solidarity between all living creatures.