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Alan The Christmas Donkey: The Little Donkey Who Made a Big Difference
Tracy had run the Radcliffe Donkey Sanctuary for twenty years, creating a safe haven for more than sixty sick, unwanted and mistreated donkeys. But after a devastatingly difficult winter, with sky high bills, she didn't know if she could afford to carry on - or if she had the physical strength to keep going. Then, in the first week of January, the phone rang. A donkey had been abandoned 130 miles away. Rushing to his rescue Tracy found Alan - forlorn, balding and shivering - tethered up tightly in a supermarket car park. Barely able to walk on his painfully overgrown hooves, he had been left to die. Tracy ran her hands gently over Alan's protruding ribs, and whispered in his ear: 'Don't worry boy, I won't give up on you.' Over the next twelve months, as Tracy grappled with attacks from vandals and perilous flash floods and desperately tried to raise money, Alan gradually recovered - turning into a loveable rogue. As Christmas rolled around, Tracy was too worried about the future to enjoy the festive season. She had no idea that the shy skinny animal she'd rescued was going to give her the greatest gift of all . . . For animal lovers everywhere, Alan The Christmas Donkey is a funny, warm and inspiring read.
288 pages, Hardcover
Published October 6, 2016
3 people are currently reading
114 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
March 3, 2019
I can only bow down to Tracy and Steve and all the people mentioned in Tracy's book..you have my utmost respect a d what can I say...There is a special place in heaven for folks like you that will put the welfare of animals before themselves.
It takes exceptional folks, armed only with meagre finances, but a heart of compassion, love and timeless unwavering commitment to start and run a sanctuary as Tracy and Steve have done. There are no words that aptly describe these people. A wonderful read that should not end at the last page. These donkeys and all others that no doubt will find their forever home at this sanctuary at some time need our help.
It takes exceptional folks, armed only with meagre finances, but a heart of compassion, love and timeless unwavering commitment to start and run a sanctuary as Tracy and Steve have done. There are no words that aptly describe these people. A wonderful read that should not end at the last page. These donkeys and all others that no doubt will find their forever home at this sanctuary at some time need our help.
January 7, 2019
simply wonderful. 5*s for the donkeys 😊
March 21, 2022
I’ve read this in hospital while not feeling well and I loved it. Very cute and wholesome. Highly recommend for a wholesome true story!
January 14, 2023
Aw. This was a very enjoyable read, and amusingly relatable to my upbringing! I could easily picture the scenarios, for I’ve been in a few similar. The stubbornness and unexpectedness of a donkey is not too different from a horse. I loved at the beginning they had a lamb who became like a dog. We used to have quite the reputation when we went riding in the woods, because Winter (our sheep) plus Inky & Victor (our goats) would often be in tow. The personality of each of the animals was wonderful and so true to life! It was all rather nostalgic and cosy!
December 9, 2020
What can I say, just a lovely lovely book about a couple who rescue donkeys and their stories
June 19, 2022
A wonderful heart warming and true story of a couple who founded a donkey sanctuary and still run it today 20+ years on. So funny and inspirational.
January 2, 2019
A sweet little bit of light reading, but it will win no literary prizes. Still, it was lovely to read about little Alan and friends and certainly brought a tear to my eye.
January 2, 2023
Lovely read and comical in parts too. I would love to go and visit the Sanctuary.
July 10, 2019
I loved this book! Was a great reading experience and Alan's shenanigans were just amazing. I actually aspire to run and care for animals in a sanctuary just like Tracey❤
January 17, 2019
This book was a birthday present off my daughter with a donkey tote bag as I love donkeys. It's a true story.
Faced with the thought of Muffin, a mule, alone in a boggy field, Tracy decided to rescue him. The owner didn't want him anymore. She found a field for him with her husband's help and not too long after with people knowing she looked after donkeys set up a sanctuary.
Quite a few people would ring her to tell about donkeys that were neglected and off she would go to pick them up.
One particular donkey being Alan. He was dupped near a supermarket tethered to a tree. Tracy took him home and cared for him. He is quite a character. He befriended a female donkey who got caught in a bog one day, he brayed so loud so that someone would come to her rescue.
He became the Christmas donkey after making visitors to the sanctuary laugh with his antics during a Christmas fundraising day.
A brilliant story from start to finish.
If your reading this, please donate to the Radcliffe Donkey Sanctuary. They really need funds to get them through bad winters and pay vet bills etc.
Faced with the thought of Muffin, a mule, alone in a boggy field, Tracy decided to rescue him. The owner didn't want him anymore. She found a field for him with her husband's help and not too long after with people knowing she looked after donkeys set up a sanctuary.
Quite a few people would ring her to tell about donkeys that were neglected and off she would go to pick them up.
One particular donkey being Alan. He was dupped near a supermarket tethered to a tree. Tracy took him home and cared for him. He is quite a character. He befriended a female donkey who got caught in a bog one day, he brayed so loud so that someone would come to her rescue.
He became the Christmas donkey after making visitors to the sanctuary laugh with his antics during a Christmas fundraising day.
A brilliant story from start to finish.
If your reading this, please donate to the Radcliffe Donkey Sanctuary. They really need funds to get them through bad winters and pay vet bills etc.
December 17, 2018
This is such a cute little story. To be honest, I didn't know much about donkeys or donkey sanctuaries, but after reading this short book, I really want to "adopt" one. It is heart breaking to hear about the ways people mistreat animals, and equally heartwarming to read about the antics these furry beasts get up to. Tracy's writing definitely invokes a lot of emotions making us think of the animals as our friends. I would really love to visit this sanctuary some day and see the work being done in person, however, it is quite far and difficult to access by public transit. Even if I never make it, I would love to keep in touch with this organization, they seem to be doing some really great work!
December 8, 2017
Brilliant
Thoroughly enjoyed the story of the donkeys. Everything from laughter to tears and had to keep reading to find out what happened next. Interesting learning about all the donkeys traits and how they form friends. Perfect read for the run up to Christmas. Tracey is one very special person.
Thoroughly enjoyed the story of the donkeys. Everything from laughter to tears and had to keep reading to find out what happened next. Interesting learning about all the donkeys traits and how they form friends. Perfect read for the run up to Christmas. Tracey is one very special person.
January 23, 2021
Such a lovely book. It definitely deserves 5 stars as all of it is literally a true story! I wish so much that this donkey sanctuary wasn’t so far away as I would LOVE to visit or volunteer there. We need more people like Tracy and Steve in this world. They do so much good rescuing donkeys and giving them better lives in their sanctuary. This author should definitely write more books!
October 18, 2023
It is so heart-warming! My granny bought me this for Christmas and I loved it. The book is about a Donkey Sanctuary and how they use Alan as a Christmas Donkey to raise the funds for the sanctuary. I loved how it recounts the names of all the donkeys and the good that these people do to protect and look after these donkeys. It is definitely worth the read.
January 5, 2018
4.5*
Loved this book and Alan's mischief and good heart had me saying aww and laughing at the comical antics he gets up to. My parents have donkeys and I laugh at their funny stories and escapee episodes too.
Loved this book and Alan's mischief and good heart had me saying aww and laughing at the comical antics he gets up to. My parents have donkeys and I laugh at their funny stories and escapee episodes too.
January 6, 2018
Such a lovely little book that balanced life and death with a perfect mix of heart-warming tales and hard hitting drama.
January 27, 2019
Enjoyed reading about how Radcliffe Donkey Santuary began and the joy, tears, difficulties and laughs of running it.
Written by the founder and manager of the sanctuary.
Written by the founder and manager of the sanctuary.
May 17, 2019
Sweet gentle read about how a donkey sanctuary came into being and the life of the owner.
December 2, 2020
3 1/2 🌟!
January 1, 2021
My dear mum and I shed many tears over this book, albeit tears of laughter; it was a very well written blurb that won't be forgotten.
January 1, 2021
Cute stories about donkeys, for the enthusiasts.
April 13, 2021
Brill
November 20, 2021
A reminder of why I want a donkey!
Heartwarming to read such amazing work at this donkey sanctuary.
Heartwarming to read such amazing work at this donkey sanctuary.
January 9, 2023
Lovely storytelling filled with the antics of Alan & all the family (animal & human).
April 8, 2023
I really want to visit the donkey sanctuary now!
December 8, 2023
Fantastic book,really enjoyed it
December 6, 2024
had to stop reading it because it was poorly written and the main character felt so unlikeable and snobbish! would be good to have read as a child though, think i would have liked it much better
January 11, 2017
***** 5 stars
Overall, this was a great book. A heart warming story interlaced with tummy-tickling moments guaranteed to have you both crying and laughing in equal measure.
Also, this book is screaming out for a film adaptation. I’ve been pondering this ever since I finished it and I really think that Martin Clunes should do the voice for Alan. I bet he’d have a right laugh mucking around on set, doing the motion capture. I can see him now, on all fours, horsing – or should that be mule-ing－about…
Actually, I met Martin Clunes on the forecourt of a BP petrol station just south of Pontypool this one summer. He was filling up his silver Lexus, I was filling up my Vauxhall Corsa, and our eyes just met across the pumps. He knew straight away I’d recognised him－I glimpsed it behind those deep broody almonds of his－ but of course he was too cool to let it show on the rest of his face, so after filling her up he just coolly walked off and into the M&S Simply Food to pay up. Following him in, I saw him buying a pack of dry roasted flavour Nobby’s Nuts and a bottle of Pepsi Max to wash them down with. Which is funny, because that’s also my favourite road journey snack and drink combination. Sometimes, I think that if me and Martin Clunes became mates we would hit it off straight away. Maybe he’d come over and we’d chill out, watch a few episodes of Doc Martin Season 3, and then afterwards maybe take a walk around my local park. There he’d tell me a few off-camera anecdotes, like the time Caroline Catz dared Ian McNeice to eat a Terry’s Chocolate Orange whole. But how McNeice ended up choking so Martin had to perform the Heimlich manoeuvre in a situation not all too dissimilar to the roles they were portraying onscreen. Martin Clunes would then look at me and say, ‘You know what, I think you should be in Doc Martin’. I would turn and reply, ‘I would love that Martin Clunes. I really would’.
Not many people know this, but Martin Clunes’ father was the noted Shakespearian actor, Alec Clunes. But apparently he was a bit of a prick.
Anyway, following Pontypool I wrote to Martin Clunes. I told him about how we had met at the forecourt, how much I enjoyed his work, and attached a list of projects I thought would be right up his street－ ‘Martin Clunes on Depression: Men Behaving Sadly’ , to name just one of many. But being the busy man Martin Clunes is he never had time to write back, unfortunately.
My girlfriend says I spend too much time talking about Martin Clunes. But then again, she also dismissed watching the seminal Doc Martin as akin to ‘being forced to sit through one of Nigel Farage’s wet dreams’, so what the f**k does she know?
I bet you anything Neil Morrissey cries into his shitty craft ale every time a Doc Martin repeat comes on ITV3 (which is often). I mean, what notable work has he done after Men Behaving Badly? Bob the f**king Builder, that’s what. Oh, and taking his builder role way too literally by going and doing that Amanda Holden while Les Dennis was on Channel 4 talking to chickens and being consoled by Anne Diamond and Mark Owen of Take That fame. Yeah, he was the pretty boy once. Liked to laugh at old Clunesy didn’t he, with his big floppy Andrew Marr ears. Well who’s laughing now, prick－Doc Martin. Eight series, 10.37 million viewers, Best Comedy and Best TV Comedy Actor Award 2004. Boom. Kipper the Dog. 78 episodes. BAFTA. Boom. Reggie Perrin. Lead role. Boom. Islands of Britain. Boom. Martin Clunes: A Man and His Dogs. Boom. Martin Clunes: The Lemurs of Madagascar. Boom. Martin Clunes: Heavy Horsepower. Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom.
Anyway, this was a great book and I hope you found this review helpful.
Overall, this was a great book. A heart warming story interlaced with tummy-tickling moments guaranteed to have you both crying and laughing in equal measure.
Also, this book is screaming out for a film adaptation. I’ve been pondering this ever since I finished it and I really think that Martin Clunes should do the voice for Alan. I bet he’d have a right laugh mucking around on set, doing the motion capture. I can see him now, on all fours, horsing – or should that be mule-ing－about…
Actually, I met Martin Clunes on the forecourt of a BP petrol station just south of Pontypool this one summer. He was filling up his silver Lexus, I was filling up my Vauxhall Corsa, and our eyes just met across the pumps. He knew straight away I’d recognised him－I glimpsed it behind those deep broody almonds of his－ but of course he was too cool to let it show on the rest of his face, so after filling her up he just coolly walked off and into the M&S Simply Food to pay up. Following him in, I saw him buying a pack of dry roasted flavour Nobby’s Nuts and a bottle of Pepsi Max to wash them down with. Which is funny, because that’s also my favourite road journey snack and drink combination. Sometimes, I think that if me and Martin Clunes became mates we would hit it off straight away. Maybe he’d come over and we’d chill out, watch a few episodes of Doc Martin Season 3, and then afterwards maybe take a walk around my local park. There he’d tell me a few off-camera anecdotes, like the time Caroline Catz dared Ian McNeice to eat a Terry’s Chocolate Orange whole. But how McNeice ended up choking so Martin had to perform the Heimlich manoeuvre in a situation not all too dissimilar to the roles they were portraying onscreen. Martin Clunes would then look at me and say, ‘You know what, I think you should be in Doc Martin’. I would turn and reply, ‘I would love that Martin Clunes. I really would’.
Not many people know this, but Martin Clunes’ father was the noted Shakespearian actor, Alec Clunes. But apparently he was a bit of a prick.
Anyway, following Pontypool I wrote to Martin Clunes. I told him about how we had met at the forecourt, how much I enjoyed his work, and attached a list of projects I thought would be right up his street－ ‘Martin Clunes on Depression: Men Behaving Sadly’ , to name just one of many. But being the busy man Martin Clunes is he never had time to write back, unfortunately.
My girlfriend says I spend too much time talking about Martin Clunes. But then again, she also dismissed watching the seminal Doc Martin as akin to ‘being forced to sit through one of Nigel Farage’s wet dreams’, so what the f**k does she know?
I bet you anything Neil Morrissey cries into his shitty craft ale every time a Doc Martin repeat comes on ITV3 (which is often). I mean, what notable work has he done after Men Behaving Badly? Bob the f**king Builder, that’s what. Oh, and taking his builder role way too literally by going and doing that Amanda Holden while Les Dennis was on Channel 4 talking to chickens and being consoled by Anne Diamond and Mark Owen of Take That fame. Yeah, he was the pretty boy once. Liked to laugh at old Clunesy didn’t he, with his big floppy Andrew Marr ears. Well who’s laughing now, prick－Doc Martin. Eight series, 10.37 million viewers, Best Comedy and Best TV Comedy Actor Award 2004. Boom. Kipper the Dog. 78 episodes. BAFTA. Boom. Reggie Perrin. Lead role. Boom. Islands of Britain. Boom. Martin Clunes: A Man and His Dogs. Boom. Martin Clunes: The Lemurs of Madagascar. Boom. Martin Clunes: Heavy Horsepower. Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom.
Anyway, this was a great book and I hope you found this review helpful.
October 26, 2016
I was asked to review this book by www.nudge-book.com.
Delightful and for readers at Christmas we all know and have sung Little Donkey and it always conjours up a warm Christmas feeling and this book is such a lovely story.
Based on the Radcliffe Donkey Sanctuary in Lincolnshire. Alan was found it a dreadful state tied up and left in a supermarket ( life is cruel and some people are equally cruel). I found the book to be extremely funny and at times thought Herriot fans would love this book. There is a tug of war with bikini bottoms! There was emotion and sadness but the resounding message was hope.
Readers will have no idea just how hard a sanctuary is to run- they faced flood and people who wanted to try to destroy this sanctuary and this wonderful donkey was helping to protect the other animals, but run with people who care and this for me was such a joy. The author takes the reader to the beginning and just how this journey began.
The author writes well and in an easy comforting way that the reader just immerses in the story.
She and her colleagues truly are angels.
It is hoped there are other great donkey characters that the author may write about and I would be keen to read more.
This book is not just for Christmas as it gives insight into the Sanctuary - it exists you can visit Alan and others, readers can donate and to give the ultimate gift readers can adopt a donkey.
Great story and for a great cause. A must read this Christmas.
Delightful and for readers at Christmas we all know and have sung Little Donkey and it always conjours up a warm Christmas feeling and this book is such a lovely story.
Based on the Radcliffe Donkey Sanctuary in Lincolnshire. Alan was found it a dreadful state tied up and left in a supermarket ( life is cruel and some people are equally cruel). I found the book to be extremely funny and at times thought Herriot fans would love this book. There is a tug of war with bikini bottoms! There was emotion and sadness but the resounding message was hope.
Readers will have no idea just how hard a sanctuary is to run- they faced flood and people who wanted to try to destroy this sanctuary and this wonderful donkey was helping to protect the other animals, but run with people who care and this for me was such a joy. The author takes the reader to the beginning and just how this journey began.
The author writes well and in an easy comforting way that the reader just immerses in the story.
She and her colleagues truly are angels.
It is hoped there are other great donkey characters that the author may write about and I would be keen to read more.
This book is not just for Christmas as it gives insight into the Sanctuary - it exists you can visit Alan and others, readers can donate and to give the ultimate gift readers can adopt a donkey.
Great story and for a great cause. A must read this Christmas.
November 20, 2016
Only took me 2 days over weekend to finish this. As with many animal tales there are always the sad bits that make you cry but there are lots of funny parts. Alan is such a star! I personally love donkeys and so did my late Mum so this was a special read for me. I also think it tells of the amazing work that goes into rescuing those poor donkeys and running a sanctuary. Wish I could have one like Alan in my back garden. A very heart warming read.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews