The Hoolet Thit Couldnae Fly

Shortlisted for the Scots Bairns Book o the Year at the Scots Language Awards 2024.

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About the Book: 

Ah want tae check she’s awricht. Ah kin luik there fur Brodie an aw.
Burds are meant tae fly.

Brodie the hoolet goes missing. But, being a hoolet wi a bad wing, the wee lass Iona is sent into a worry. Her mammy is busy trying to get her ready for school and the snaw is settling in. Brodie must be found.

Running through the garden and exploring Mad Billy’s fairm, Brodie couldnae have gone far. After aw, she was a hoolet that couldnae fly.

A fantastic book by award-winning Scots author Emma Grae, it explores themes of confidence and celebrates the idea that it is okay to be different.

Learn Scots and meet all the animals we encounter searching for Brodie in this bonnie wee book. Perfect for readers aged 7-10

With a snowy setting, it will make a great gift this Christmas for any child in Scotland.

Reviews:

Named as one of the Best Glasgow Books of 2023 by The Glasgow Times.

A braw tale of friendship and loss. GLASGOW EVENING TIMES

This book is something totally different to what we have read before and that's something special. SCOTT.YOU.READING

The Hoolet Thit Couldnae Fly would be a fantastic book to share aloud with young readers as it gives status to Scots and, for those of us unfamiliar with the vocabulary, is more easily accessed by hearing the words. It could also be a real catalyst for classrooms where children can consider language, accent and dialect, sharing words from their own mother tongues. I’d love to see it as a drama performance too, so that it has use and longevity beyond simply being a story... The Hoolet Thit Couldnae Fly is a cracking children’s book and very well worth adding to home or classroom bookshelves. I really enjoyed it! LINDA'S BOOK BAG

The Hoolet Thit Couldnae Fly by Emma Grae is a beautiful, tender and heartfelt story of a young girl losing something very dear to her, learning to cope with change and look past prejudices. All told in the rich voice of Emma, who uses Scots with a distinctly Glaswegian influence to create a warm, familiar, and comfortable feeling to a snow scattered tale. GRACESBOOKSHELF

Read this to my class of 6 year olds and almost all of them loved it. They would cheer whenever it was time for another chapter and all wanted to be the one to tell us what happened last time. They enjoyed learning new Scots words and some got very, very excited to hear Scots in a book. They kept saying "that's what we say at home!" The illustrations are lovely and really complement the story. SARAH, Teacher on GoodReads

The Hoolet This Couldnae Fly is a gorgeous story celebrating friendship and individuality. Perfect for any wee boy or girl this Christmas. BOOKSFROMSCOTLAND

Today I started reading The Hoolet Thit Couldnae Fly by Emma Grae to my Primary Twa class and they are loving it! MISS MOIR, Teacher

At start of every New Year we take a look back at our favourite books from the previous year. The Hoolet Thit Couldnae Fly - by Emma Grae, illustratit by Bob Dewar is our Children's book of 2023. THE BOOK WARREN

A sensitive, engaging story in a Scots that is easily accessible and a delight to read. BILLY KAY, Author

In short, Grae’s literary work is a celebration of the historic and wonderfully-diverse Scottish dialects that make up the Scots Language. READ THE ROOM MAGAZINE

This is a light gentle story perfect for children aged 7 and above. This is quite a short book so this is perfect for using this as  a class read. HELEN BYLES, BLOGGER

The book is written in Scots and clearly designed as an educational tool to teach children the language as well as convey a good story and some morals. THE BOOK LOVER'S BOUDOIR

Encourages literacy in Scots while offering a unique and memorable reading experience that highlights the beauty and richness of Scots. SARAH BROADLEY, My Book Corner

This beautiful story written entirely in Scots language is perfect to explore themes of friendship, grief and feelings with children. NOTQUITEHOGWARTS

This is a wonderful, short story showcasing the strength of relationships, love and loss and is written fully in Scots language. It is recommended for ages 7-10 and I think it would be a fabulous story to use in class! MRS_C_TEACH

This is a lovely short story written in Scots about a wee girl who has lost her owl who can’t fly... A story of friendship, loss and finding peace. I would say this story is suitable for P2 upwards. MRS_W00D

It’s great to see that books are now being written for children in Scots rather than being translated... I thought it was brilliant to see Scots being valued as a language and presented just as a normal way of talking. I feel this would be a great book to read aloud to children whether that’s at home or in a classroom setting. JOANNE, PORTOBELLO BOOK BLOG

This book provides an excellent opportunity for children to connect with the Scots language. In this book Iona is taught that it’s ok to be different and everyone has their own strengths. This message is particularly valuable in a classroom setting where children are constantly navigating their own identities. MRS_T_LIFE

About the Author:

EMMA GRAE is a Scottish author and journalist from Glasgow. She is a passionate advocate of the Scots language and breaking the stigma around mental illness. She has published fiction and poetry in the UK and Ireland since 2014 in journals including The Honest Ulsterman, From Glasgow to Saturn and The Open Mouse. Her debut novel, Be Guid tae yer Mammy, was published by Unbound in August 2021.

As a journalist, she writes under her birth surname, Guinness, and has bylines in a number of publications including Cosmopolitan, the Huffington Post and the Metro. 

Emma was recently awarded Scots Book of the Year for her debut novel ‘Be guid tae yer Mammy’ at the Scots Language Awards 2022.

Find her on Twitter @emmagraeauthor.

BOB DEWAR was born in Edinburgh at an early age. 16 years later he was published nationally. He worked in D.C. Thomson’s studio where, among other things, he ghosted Dennis the Menace. After going freelance, he did political and social commentary for The Scotsman newspaper. He has illustrated books for the children’s and English Speaking Departments of Oxford University Press, Fife Educational Social Development, A&C Black and many Scottish publishers – Birlinn, Luath, Black & White and Itchy Coo. His work has also appeared in The Times, The Herald, Scottish Field and The Scotch Malt Whisky Society.