Albert, The Greyhound Who Loves to Run, is the heartwarming, true story of Albert, an anxious adopted greyhound who overcomes his fear of cats to find a safe home, a warm bed, and a family of his own. The book features Albert, a two-year-old greyhound, who runs away from his new home after being spooked by the family cat. The true story of Albert’s escape and nine weeks on the run captured the imagination and interest of animal lovers worldwide as author Kylie Miller worked to bring him home. Albert’s adventures – and eventual return – were reported nationally in the Australian media. Albert, The Greyhound Who Loves to Run is a fictionalised account but includes real-life characters, including greyhound Teddy, Cleo the cat, and Albert’s great love and saviour, Rhonda. It’s a universal story of love, family, persistence, friendship and belonging that applies to the thousands of pets seeking happy, forever homes each year. Albert, The Greyhound Who Loves to Run is the first in a series of greyhound picture books.
Kylie Miller is an award-winning journalist and communications consultant. After trading the city life for a tree change in East Gippsland, Kylie experienced first-hand the devastating bushfires of the 2019-20 Australian summer. Her first children’s picture book, Heroes of Black Summer, co-written by Craig Sheather and illustrated by Karen Erasmus, was published by Australian Geographic in 2021. It tells stories of heroism, courage, resilience, and generosity as the community recovered from the disaster, giving children a tool to help process the trauma. Kylie lives by the Gippsland Lakes with her partner, Brett, adopted greyhounds Teddy and Dotty, and a 16-year-old cat called Molly. Molly is the boss of them all. Illlustrator: Karen Erasmus is an artist, illustrator and designer working in a beautiful bayside town near Melbourne, Australia. Her illustrations and designs focus on colour, character and story. She has been illustrating for publishers and businesses since 2011.
* Albert, The Greyhound Who Loves to Run covers the themes of love, family, patience, persistence, friendship, and belonging. It shows children the importance of persistence, patience, and love in overcoming fears. * The story also reinforces the value of pet adoption. * Albert’s story will appeal to pet owners, including the thousands of Australians who have adopted dogs during COVID-19 related lockdowns. The universal story equally applies to the thousands of pets seeking happy, forever homes each year. * There is strong demand for children’s picture books featuring greyhounds and very few books in the market. A growing interest in greyhound adoption drives this demand, with thousands of greyhounds adopted by Australian households each year. Nearly 3000 greyhounds were rehomed in Victoria alone in 2020-21 – a record high. Third-party rehoming groups and the greyhound racing industry support greyhound adoption and attract passionate followings on social media. For example, the Victorian Greyhound Adoption Program, which promotes the breed as pets, has 58,000 followers on its Facebook page and received nearly 22 million impressions in 2020-21. The organisation’s Instagram page received 4.8 million impressions. Publicity: * National marketing and communications plan, including direct emails to greyhound adoption agencies, general pet rescue agencies, greyhound racing clubs and the greyhound industry. * Stakeholders, including adoption agencies and the industry, to be sent communications materials, including the book’s cover image, social media posts and electronic direct mail content to share with their networks. * Social media campaign, with information about the book widely distributed via greyhound-themed social media groups. * Mainstream media campaign, including nationally distributed media release and telephone follow-up; Melbourne media to be invited to a mid-week launch. * Melbourne launch event by a greyhound-owning Victorian MP at greyhound-friendly park with representatives from Victorian greyhound adoption agencies and dogs. Kylie Miller to share real-life story at launch with Teddy, one of the real-life greyhound characters in the book. * Regional launch event at greyhound-friendly Gippsland site with representatives from local greyhound adoption agencies and dogs. Kylie Miller to share real-life story at launch with Teddy, one of the real-life greyhound characters in the book.
Canberra Times - https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/7769669/childrens-book-sheds-light-on-the-perils-and-joys-of-being-an-adoptive-pet-parent/
Newcastle Herald -https://www.newcastleherald.com.au/story/7769669/childrens-book-sheds-light-on-the-perils-and-joys-of-being-an-adoptive-pet-parent/?cs=12
Illawarra Mercury -https://www.illawarramercury.com.au/story/7769669/childrens-book-sheds-light-on-the-perils-and-joys-of-being-an-adoptive-pet-parent/
Launceston Examiner - https://www.examiner.com.au/story/7769669/childrens-book-sheds-light-on-the-perils-and-joys-of-being-an-adoptive-pet-parent/?cs=9397
Bendigo Advertiser - https://www.bendigoadvertiser.com.au/story/7769669/childrens-book-sheds-light-on-the-perils-and-joys-of-being-an-adoptive-pet-parent/
Maitland Mercury - https://www.maitlandmercury.com.au/story/7769669/childrens-book-sheds-light-on-the-perils-and-joys-of-being-an-adoptive-pet-parent/?cs=9676
Gippsland Times - https://www.gippslandtimes.com.au/news/2022/07/20/albert-the-greyhound-who-loves-to-run/
