A Heartwarming Scots Winter Tale
Blogmas Day 5
Welcome to our Blogmas!
From now until Christmas, we will be sharing our fantastic blogs every day with you all.
Enjoy your read for a special code offer at the end of the blog to use on our website.
Join Stephanie Centola, our marketing assistant for her review of The Hoolet Thit Couldnae Fly by Emma Grae.
This review is part of our ongoing series of in-house reviews, showcasing how passionate we are about the books we publish.
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The cloods that kiss the moontains are white, the corners o the square windaes frozen.
How would you feel if you lost your owl?
Set in Scotland in the winter, we follow wee Iona who’s lost her owl, Brodie. A speckled one; grey, white and brown.
And there’s feathers everywhere. So where could she be?
This children’s book by Emma Grae is whimsical, witty and full of fun for readers of any age.
Starting in the family home, we are witness to Iona’s affection for her owl or ‘hoolet’ Brodie who has gone missing. Cold and wintery, Iona is dedicated to her search, heading through the neighbour’s farm – has it been eaten by the dog? And what about Suzy the pony – has she seen the hoolet?
My favourite aspect of the book is the determined nature of our main character Iona, who feels the affection of her friendship with Brodie, happy to be different and friends with the hoolet. She cares deeply about the care of her owl, and the fact that she must fly because she simply cannot be hurt. It’s much too precious for that.
But there is also undertones of empathy for others, and understanding how Billy the neighbour has felt grief and pain like she feels the loss of her dear owl. It teaches children to understand the characters of those around us, and why they act the way they do. It teaches them to be brave but also non-judgemental of people.
The narrative is also portrayed in beautiful illustrations by Bob Dewar, which are key to the humour and characterisation of wee Iona and our hoolet, Brodie.
This is a wonderful new book to add to any bookshelf this Christmas, opening up the world of Scots language to the next generation.
