Lil Grey Donkey, The

The Lil Grey Donkey
by Carolyn Williams
Illustrated by L.E.Stevens
Reviewed by Michelle Shaw
Published by Ghost Mountain Publishing
$20 ISBN 978-1-9994737-1-6

This is a beautiful story about a small grey donkey “with big brown eyes” who is injured in a fight with a cougar while guarding some sheep with her friend, the Llama. But rest assured, there’s a happy ending!

She subsequently finds her forever home with the author where she takes “her place in the herd, becoming a buddy for the foals and … loved by all”.

The Lil Grey Donkey is so loved in fact that she appears on the Christmas cards “all dressed up with bows and a Santa cap on”. She becomes part of the community and even goes to town to greet the hospital patients before they go home.

Using simple language and cartoon-like drawings that ooze personality, I think the book is ideal for drawing the young reader in without feeling intimidating. And the delightful picture of the Lil Grey Donkey on the front cover will captivate young readers before they even open the book!

Williams, whose previous book The Happy Horse was released earlier this year, doesn’t actually name the donkey in the story. But there’s a beautiful photo of a donkey inside the book and a dedication to “Miss Carmelita, for being you!” Williams says “the story is about always doing the best job you can and always stepping in to help a friend [because] you never know where it will lead.”

Carolyn Williams describes herself as “a transplanted Englishwoman living life (and loving it) in the wilds of the great Canadian prairies surrounded by the two great passions of her life – her horses and her dogs.”

Illustrator L.E.Stevens, who also illustrated The Happy Horse, lives on the outskirts of metropolitan Delta, Ohio with his wife and a variety of dogs, cats and horses. When not otherwise occupied in the barn or the shop, he splits his time doodling up cartoons and trying to create fine art western drawings.

THIS BOOK IS AVAILABLE AT YOUR LOCAL BOOKSTORE OR FROM THE SASKATCHEWAN PUBLISHERS GROUP WWW.SKBOOKS.COM