Bobby and Bubba's Small Adventures is a truly wonderful book about the big adventures of two fantastic canines, Bobby and Bubba Coombs who are two absolutely delightful British Bulldog brothers. Their human mum and dad are called Alexander and Michela and their human grandfather, Anthony Coombs was called upon to use his literary to write this charming canine autobiography. It is illustrated with a photograph but the main illustrations are some remarkably well-executed pieces of art by Adam Share.
Readers (adults and children should the adults ever let this book out of their grasp!) will love to find out about what the brothers get up. The face that they own shooting jackets for the cold weather, that they spend their time between a lovely home in Chelsea and a big, rambling house in the Warwickshire countryside. They reveal that although they love the clean city streets they prefer the Warwickshire countryside as they need harnesses to keep them safe in London, but they have the opportunity to run free in the fields surrounding their Warwickshire home.
They have a special friend who is an elderly tramp called Alfie. The dogs have reason to believe that he lives on a bench not far from their home in Chelsea. The dogs? They thought the smells emanating from Alfie were interesting, but as for Michela, she wasn't so keen on his smells. Though she was pleased when he helped untangle the dogs.
Later on the dogs were able to return this act of mercy at least 100 fold, with the assistance of Alexander, a branch of Boots and a nearby Methodist Church.
There's more to the story of Bobby and Bubba and their new found friend, but you'll have to read the book to learn what it is.
There was an unexpected oracle wearing a Chelsea shirt, the trials and tribulations of COVID, the question if Bobby was a dunce or a genius, how the two loved sleeping, how they also loved eating and going out for walks, the mystery of cats, a deer made of old iron, constructed by an artist called Adam during the COVID lockdown, and what happened when a hard lesson had to be taught.
This book is ideal for parents, grandparents and for older siblings to read with young children.
It's published by SilverWood Books at £14.99 in paperback and £22.99 in hardback.
Author Anthony Coombs is a former MP, an avowed Aston Villa fan (up the Villa! says your reviewer) even though his father once owned Villa's rivals, Birmingham City. He's also a director of the board that runs the Birmingham Royal Ballet.