Love from Alfie McPoonst, The Best Dog Ever

Dear Izzy, I’m a Sky Dog now. I live in Dog Heaven, because I died...

When Alfie the dog dies, he sends his owner Izzy letters in the post from his new address: The Nicest Cloud, Dog Heaven, The Sky. He wants her to know that he misses her – so much! – but his new home in heaven is BRILLIANT. There are postmen to chase, angels to tickle his tummy, and he never even has to take a bath! Can his letters comfort Izzy, who is is feeling lost without him? Sensitively balancing humour and raw emotional truth, this is a beautifully observed tale sure to reassure children experiencing loss and grief for the very first time.

A reassuring book to help young children make sense of their first experience of loss and grief. A rare epistolary picture book. Told through the therapeutic act of letter-writing, the story encourages children to express their loss creatively – by writing a story, drawing a picture or even sending a letter. A new go-to book about mortality, in the same space as Goodbye Mog and John Burningham’s Granpa.

This is a sad but comforting tale that mixes the raw emotions of loss and grief with the humour of what a dog might enjoy in dog heaven. Juno
Double-page spreads lend a pace to the story that encourages stillness and meditation on the emotional images, which would be particularly beneficial for any young readers contemplating the death of a much-loved pet. The Irish Times
This is a story deals with the very real, very raw pain of loss while injecting gentle humour and a sense of enduring love. The illustrations have a softness and dream-like quality that beautifully compliment the emotional content. You will want to have the tissues ready. Simply a lovely, kind story that is most comforting, cosy and genuine. Fallen Star Stories Blog
There is nothing forced or didactic about this gem of a book. Patricia Metola's illustrations perfectly reflect the emotions of Izzy… It is worth noting that Dawn McNiff previously worked as a bereavement counsellor, adding professional weight to what is an exceptionally comforting book, perfect for young ones experiencing loss for the first time. Every library should have a copy. The School Librarian

Dawn McNiff worked as a bereavement counsellor, a copywriter, a teaching assistant and a children’s bookseller before enrolling on Bath Spa University’s MA course in Writing for Young People. She is the author of three middle-grade novels, How Not to Be Weird, Little Celeste and Worry Magic, and the author of one picture book, Mummy’s Little Monster, illustrated by Kate Willis-Crowley. Born by the sea in Sussex, Dawn now lives in Gloucestershire. Find her online at dawnmcniff.com and on Twitter as @DawnMcNiff.

About the illustrator Patricia Metola is an illustrator from Madrid, Spain. After studying Graphic Design, she spent several years working as an art director before focussing on her own illustration. Since then, she has illustrated more than fifteen books and her art has been displayed internationally, at the ABC Museum, the Madrid National Library and the Itabashi Art Museum of Japan. Love From Alfie McPoonst will be her first picture book in English. Find her online at patriciametola.blogspot.com.es and on Instagram as @patriciametola.

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