Children’s poet, Juli Frances Taylor has recently launched her new book: ‘Amazing Albert The Hero’. Albert is a real-life hero and the four year old son of former Heart Wiltshire radio presenter, Adam Ball, who has often invited Juli to appear on his current mid-morning show with BBC Radio Oxford to talk about her poetry. During the show, Adam has also spoken about his little boy, Albert, and what they get up to together.
Juli, who lives in Kempsford, wrote a personal poem about Albert, who has Cystic Fibrosis and about how he enjoys spending time with his Dad watching the water run down the windscreen in the car wash and Albert’s aversion to ‘bits’ in his yogurt!
The poem turned Albert into a super-hero who helps others and Juli read out the poem on air during one of Adam’s shows. All went well until the last line when Albert said that ‘his super-hero is his Dad!’ This brought Adam to tears and made him cry live on air!
The response from listeners was enormous, so that was when Adam and Juli decided the poem, ‘Amazing Albert’ should become a book. Juli wanted to keep the super-hero theme with Albert fighting crime, whilst also creating stories of challenging times around potty training.
Amazing Albert The Hero is a rhyming story about adventure, parenting, friendship and potty training and is superbly and beautifully illustrated by Paul Carlon, a well-known Bristol-based children’s illustrator, who brings Albert to the page and breathes life into his words with vibrant colours and movement.
The book launch that was held at the end of August in the Oxford County Library featured a life-size Mr Poo (!) and was supported by the Children’s Bowel and Bladder Charity, ERIC. The event was also attended by Juli’s friend, Steve Antony – well-known Swindon-based children’s author and illustrator.
All profits from the sale of the book will go to Cystic Fibrosis charities.
Visit julifrancestaylor.co.uk
Article by Chris Roberts MBE PR
