Abracazebra

Yawnalot is a sleepy old town, where the only entertainment is watching Goat mend his boat.

But then, one evening, a stranger came.

Nobody dared to ask her name.

She came on a bicycle decked with flowers.

(They say she rode for hours and hours.)

What will the animals of Yawnalot (especially Goat) make of newcomer Abracazebra and her magic show?

Will Goat manage to conquer his jealousy in the end?

Abracazebra is a story about friendship, accepting difference… and magic!

Abracazebra was written by Helen Docherty and illustrated by Thomas Docherty. It was published in 2015 by Alison Green Books in the UK.  Abracazebra has been translated into Chinese (Taiwan), Danish, Dutch, Finnish, German, Hebrew, Italian, Norwegian, Polish, Russian and Slovenian.

It was shortlisted for the Bishop’s Stortford Picture Book Award 2016, and read on CBeebies Bedtime Stories by the actor Aaron McCusker.

Abracazebra was adapted for stage by Piotr Bujak and performed at the Abhainn Ri Festival of inclusion and participation in Callan, Ireland. You can read more about it here, and also watch a brief clip. It has also been adapted by Kate Belcher as a musical for school children to perform.

You can download an Abracazebra Spot the Difference Activity Sheet here

An Abracazebra picture to colour in here

And an Abracazebra mask to make here !

Sadly, Abracazebra is currently out of print in the UK, but we are hoping that it might be reprinted at some point. If you would like to see it reprinted, please get in touch with our publishers (Alison Green Books at Scholastic UK). For now, Abracazebra should be available to borrow from all UK libraries.

Reviews:

Abracazebra is such a clever story, conveying an important message in a beautiful, funny, accessible way. And it champions the joy and importance of live theatre too, so it’s a win-win book for me!”

– Kate Belcher, writer and producer of musical plays for young performers, including  Abracazebra the musical (to be staged in March 2024)

“The rhyming story is delightful and children will revel in it over and over. The lively, glorious illustrations are perfectly matched to create another soon-to-be-favourite about friendship, acceptance and celebrating our differences. There is a subtle, yet important message concerning dealing with negative feelings. But more to the point, there is great joy and the wonder of magic! A must-read for everyone!”

 – Mary Esther Judy, Fallen Star Stories

 “A class of six year olds rated this highly: ‘This can happen in real life.'”

– Libby Allman, children’s book specialist

“We really enjoyed Abracazebra. As a teacher, I found it perfect for promoting discussion about being different.”

– Ruth Dorset, Manadon Vale Primary School, Plymouth

“A warm-hearted story told in rhyming text about jealousy, inclusion and learning to say you are sorry. Great for summer afternoon storytimes and really useful for PSHE.”

– Education Library Service Online

 “A charming story with a message. Appealing illustrations will delight and rhyming text adds to the appeal. A good sharing read.”

– Peters Books

“Each page in this wonderful book is overflowing with lovely illustrative detail. Who knew a zebra could look so forlorn? The rhyming text is a pleasure to read out-loud and the message of acceptance lends itself to all sorts of interesting conversations. An excellent choice with which to celebrate the Year of the Goat.”

 – myfriendlucy.wordpress.com, New Zealand

“Abracazebra is a delightful rhyming picture book featuring a fun collection of animal characters, whimsical illustrations, and important underlying messages about jealousy and celebrating diversity.  This book would make a great read-aloud book in an early elementary classroom or library circle and I highly recommend it to children ages 4 to 8.”

– Mother Daughter Book Reviews

“Helen’s rhyming prose doesn’t skip a beat, and Thomas’s sprightly use of two-page spreads provides the reader a flowing reading experience that makes it prime read-aloud material.”

– Talking Animal Addicts

Praise for the Dutch version of Abracazebra:

“An important message… delightful illustrations, entertaining characters and a well-constructed plot.”

– This is How We Read

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