Dotty and the Lonely Farm is a heartwarming childrens picture book that whisks young readers into a tale of friendship and purpose. It follows Dotty, a spirited adopted greyhound whose energy and enthusiasm bring joy to the farm she calls home. With her best friend, Chloe, Dotty romps around the farm, but when the clock strikes eight and Chloe hurries to the school bus, Dotty feels all alone. Dotty sets off on a journey and discovers each animals role in the busy farm community. Visiting the hens, the cow and the sheep, Dotty learns that everyone on the farm has a very important job. Can she find a job of her own? Join Dotty as she learns the value of friendship, purpose, and the joy of discovering where she truly belongs.
Author:
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. Kylie has since written a series of childrens picture books focusing on greyhounds. Dotty and the Lonely Farm is third in the series. Kylie lives by the Gippsland Lakes with her partner, Brett, and adopted greyhounds Teddy, Dotty and Bluey.
Illustrator:
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.
* Dotty and the Lonely Farm explores themes of family, friendship and belonging. It shows children the importance of friendship, purpose, and the joy of belonging while teaching them about the roles animals play on a busy, working farm.
* Dotty’s story will appeal to dog owners, including the thousands of Australians who have greyhounds as pets.
* There is strong demand for children’s picture books featuring greyhounds, and very few books are in the market. A growing interest in greyhound adoption drives this demand, with thousands of greyhounds adopted by Australian households each year. Nearly 2,700 greyhounds were rehomed in Victoria alone in 2022-23. Greyhound adoption agencies attract passionate followings on social media. For example, the Victorian Greyhound Adoption Program, which promotes the breed as pets, has 92,000 followers on its Facebook page and an active and engaged community. This is replicated in other Australian states.
Publicity:
* National marketing and communications plan, including a focus on 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 and photography, to share with their networks.
* Social media campaign leveraging the author’s active social media presence including information about the book widely distributed via greyhound-themed social media groups.
* Mainstream media campaign, including nationally distributed media release.
* Author Kylie Miller to share the real-life story of Dotty, the real-life greyhound character in the book. Dotty was introduced in Kylie’s second greyhound picture book, Teddy, The Most Beautiful Boy in the World.
