The O’Brien Press

Nearly everyone in my class had a pet of some sort. Lots of them had dogs, and a fair few had cats, budgies and goldfish. Max Wallace had a hamster and Adam O'Hara had a tortoise which he claimed was sixty years old, though I'm pretty sure he was exaggerating. Sam Tripp had a small lizard and a pet rabbit, which was a strange combination. But no one I knew had a grizzly bear sleeping in their garden shed, or sat beside a grizzly bear most nights watching TV.

Marco wasn't a pet, of course. He was my friend. My best friend.

Can Patrick stop his friend being sent back to the zoo? An absurd and hilarious tale of real friendship.

Born in Dublin, Gerry Boland is a writer, teacher and committed environmentalist.

Áine Mc Guinness is from a small village on the East coast of Ireland. An early love for art led her to study animation at the National Film School of Ireland where she graduated with a degree in 2007. She worked as an animator until 2010 before starting her career as an illustrator. Her work is often inspired by childhood memories and nature and mainly combines digital and watercolour painting. Áine is currently based in Dublin, Ireland.

'a beautifully told, engaging tale, about Ireland’s favourite, lovable grizzly bear'

Armadillo Poetry Magazine

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  Turkish edition cover