Alligator Online
By OLIVIA ORMOS
Maddie felt A cool breeze on her wet nose, watched dark clouds roll in and cuddled close to her family as Hurricane Charley blew over.
UF junior Kate Allinson illustrated the true story of the pug and her family's encounter with the hurricane - all told from the dog's perspective.
"Maddie's Great Adventure," published Monday, was authored by Amy and Matt Allinson, Kate's mother and brother.
"Illustrating the book was a good experience for me to have, and I really enjoyed doing it," Kate, a digital arts and sciences major, said. "My mom offered to pay me, but of course I said no."
One page of the rhyming children's book reads, "Thunder roared with a huge downpour, as I hid my face upon the floor. Lights went out and the house grew dark. The only thing I could do was to bark!"
Amy, a former teacher and mother of five from Longwood, said the process of putting the book together was a true family project that was fun and also educational and meant something special to their family.
"Writing the book was kind of like a natural thing," Amy said. "I sat down after everyone had left, wrote 10 paragraphs and sent them to Matt, who added more."
Amy plans on contacting elementary schools and volunteering to start reading the book to young children.
"Ever since I was little, she always read to us and wanted to write a children's story that was fun and interesting," Kate said. "She's always wanted to do something like this."
The Allinsons got the book copyrighted in January, and Amy said Trafford Publishing Company was able to have it completed in three months.
"I love drawing and art, and I have always been interested in being creative and looking at the world differently," Kate said.
The book is 24 pages long and targeted for ages 0 through 7 years. It is available for $12 on the Trafford Publishing Web site, Trafford.com.
The moral of the story is "stay close to the ones you love because you never know what's going to happen, and the winds may change," Kate said.