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The Adventures of Compost the Cat
Hey, I am Nicola. I am a children’s author of the book series ‘The Adventures of Compost’, my debut book was published in November 2021. Each book will be about disability, friendship and adventure and will be accessible in many formats.
‘Compost the Cat’, my debut book, is about a cat called Compost who loves to go on adventures and during his muddy walk, he bumps into another cat called Poppy who has a physical disability. Despite the challenges that they face, their friendship blossoms.
Each adventure which Compost goes on, he will meet other animals who have different disabilities or help people who need extra support.
Each book will also be in accessible formats for everyone to enjoy. These will include Paperback, Large Print, Braille, Audio and British Sign Language.
Since birth, I have had a variety of disabilities which can be a challenge but despite the hurdles I have faced, I have blossomed. I have a hearing impairment and wear hearing aids which can cause my confidence to fluctuate. I have dyspraxia which affects my balance and co-ordination. Since being a teenager, I have struggled with mental health issues and for the past year, I have suffered from Long Covid but despite all these difficulties I have conquered challenges and I am level 3 childcare qualified. Before I became poorly with Covid, I have been a nursery nurse and a kids rep. Through both voluntary work and employment, I have worked with a variety of children with special needs or who have English as an additional language.
I started writing when I was a little girl but then didn’t for years. Then I picked it up again and if it wasn’t for me having long covid, the book may not be finished. I wasn’t going to put about disability into my books until the day I went to the library with a friend to analyse some children’s books and I was utterly disgusted at how little books were about disability, so this is when I knew that I had to incorporate disability into my publications. It is great educating children and allowing them to read about disabilities but when the book is only in 1 format, all children will not be able to access this. Again, I knew I had to change this. The Adventures of Compost prides themselves in publishing each book into different accessible formats for all to enjoy. Another thing that I hate is that clothing, accessories, toys, and publications for both children and adults who are disabled are a lot more costly than they are for neuro-typical people and therefore, ALL the books in The Adventures of Compost are the same price, whichever format they are.
Compost the Cat is £6.95 and is available to buy from www.theadventuresofcompost.co.uk, Waterstones, Amazon, and eBay.
Book Review
A sweet picture book and story about friendship. Compost the cat is energetic, keen to play and have adventures. We follow Compost as he meets and makes friends with Poppy, helping her to overcome her fear of the river and play all day. Although Poppy only has three paws it’s her fear of the water that stops her from joining in the most, showing those differently abled can do anything, overcome their fears, have lots of fun and make friends along the way, in a way that is clear but without overemphasis.
With colourful pictures throughout, we see Compost and Poppy play all across the countryside, and there’s plenty of detail in the illustrations to examine before moving on to the next page. When you’re finished, there’s activities and items to go back and look out for in the pictures.
‘Compost the Cat’ is a sweet book about friendship and building confidence that is easy to read and could appeal to cat and animal lovers.
Book review from www.lovereading4kids.co.uk
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