Kelpies News and Features
Category: Books
What is Eid? Guest post by Yasmin Hanif
Posted on 12/03/26 in Guest posts, Picture Kelpies, Yasmin Hanif
Yasmin Hanif’s debut picture book, Abdullah’s Bear Needs a Name, begins at Eid, when Abdullah’s parents give him a teddy bear as a gift. As Muslims ar …
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Kelpies Gift Guide 2025
Posted on 07/11/25 in Christmas
We say it every year, and we’ll say it again: books are our favourite kind of presents! Whether your children are animal lovers, fantasy fans, puzzle …
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Celtic Tales on the Map
Posted on 07/10/25 in Books, Folk and Fairy Tales, Fun Stuff, Lari Don
Journey with us to the Celtic lands – Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Cornwall, the Isle of Man and Brittany – to discover classic stories of myth, magic an …
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Celtic Folk and Fairy Tales: Poster Download
Posted on 23/09/25 in Books, Folk and Fairy Tales, Lari Don, Posters
Shapeshifting selkies, cunning fairies, duelling dragons and bloodthirsty giants: discover stories of myth, magic and mischief retold for children by …
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The Story Behind Adbullah’s Bear
Posted on 22/09/25 in Books, Video
Yasmin Hanif is a Scottish-Pakistani author, poet and educator from a Muslim background. She worked on the ‘We Can Be Heroes’ project which tackled th …
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Firebloom: Meet the Characters!
Posted on 24/07/25 in Books, Fun Stuff
Dive in to Firebloom, Justin Davies’ new magical mystery adventure, with our character round-up! Read on to meet some of the residents of Stormcliff, …
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“You sit, you pedal, you try not to fall…”
Posted on 27/05/25 in Extract
An Extract for World Bicycle Day Can you ride a bicycle? Imagine what it would be like to ride a bike for the very first time now – is it fun? Excitin …
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My Name is Samim: A Note from the Author
Posted on 24/04/25 in Books, Guest posts
“My life can’t just be about surviving this journey…” Thirteen-year-old Samim is a loyal friend, a gifted chess player – and a refugee. Even after he …
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Printable wrapping paper!
Posted on 11/11/24 in Christmas, Fun Stuff
Looking for that unique touch for your festive gifts this year? Try our free printable wrapping paper designs using illustrations from some of our fav …
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Behind the Folklore at the Edge of the Silver Sea
Posted on 12/08/24 in Books, Fun Stuff, Guest posts
“One of the last places in the world where the human and fey realms still overlap…” Myths and stories about the fey — or fae, fay, faeries, fairies …
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Meet the Characters at the Edge of the Silver Sea
Posted on 05/08/24 in Books, Fun Stuff, Guest posts
“An island all alone at the edge of the silver sea. In a place like this, anything could happen…” Forced to move to the remote island of Roscoe, Bla …
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It’s Summer Time!
Posted on 20/06/24 in Books, Fun Stuff
Summer in Scotland means plenty of extra daylight hours – ideal for getting lost in a good book! Read on to explore our spectacular collection of deli …
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Exploring Scotland’s Past with David MacPhail
Posted on 08/09/23 in Books, Fun Stuff, Guest posts
10 Free Historical Sites Perfect for Family Adventures Days out with the kids can cost an arm and a leg, but it doesn’t have to cost a penny. Let chil …
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Guest Post: The Mammal Society on Mountain Hares
Posted on 13/03/23 in Books, Guest posts
This Spring, Team Kelpies are celebrating the publication of Maisie the Mountain Hare: the brand new picture book by Lynne Rickards and Abigail Hookha …
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Features for Teachers: Haarville
Posted on 23/02/23 in Books, Features for Teachers, Fun Stuff
Creative writing, design challenges, research missions, group discussion, drama exercises, games and lots more! Are you looking for rewarding reading …
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Welcome to Haarville: Interactive Map
Posted on 09/02/23 in Books, Fun Stuff
Off the grid and not on the maps, Haarville is a place shrouded in fog and steeped in pungent pongs. Everything here smells fishy, especially the town …
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Haarville Video Extract
Posted on 31/01/23 in Books, Extract, Fun Stuff, Video
Welcome to Haarville. If you’ve arrived, you’ve survived… Take a journey to the misty, murky and mysterious seaside town of Haarville, where somethi …
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Features for Teachers: Scotland’s Kings and Queens
Posted on 29/09/22 in Books, Features for Teachers
Test your knowledge of Scotland’s most famous kings and queens with our brilliant quiz sheets based on Illustrated Legends of Scotland’s Kings and Que …
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Timeline of the Kings and Queens of Scotland Poster
Posted on 22/09/22 in Books, Features for Teachers, Fun Stuff, Posters
Looking for something to brighten up your classroom, library or child’s bedroom? Download our free, printable Illustrated Legends of Scotland’s Kings …
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The Tall Tale of the Giant’s Causeway poster
Posted on 15/09/22 in Books, Features for Teachers, Fun Stuff, Posters
Looking for something to brighten up your classroom, library or child’s bedroom? Download our free, printable The Tall Tale of the Giant’s Causeway po …
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Who’s the best giant of them all?
Posted on 08/09/22 in Books, Video
The Tall Tale of the Giant’s Causeway Video Trailer “Long ago, when giants lived in Scotland and Ireland, they stood so tall they could see clearly ac …
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Museum Mystery Squad and the Case from Outer Space
Posted on 20/07/22 in Books, Fun Stuff
Coming Soon! Someone’s sending the museum ransom notes threatening to steal a prized exhibit from the brand-new Space Zone! Can the Squad make …
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The Sky Beneath the Stone Blog Tour
Posted on 02/03/22 in Books, Fun Stuff
Ivy North is an adventurer and expert map reader, who can pitch a tent in four minutes flat. There’s just one problem. She’s afraid to go outside. Whe …
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Features for Teachers: The Sky Beneath the Stone
Posted on 26/02/22 in Books, Features for Teachers
Adventures Through the Portal Nature, art, map reading and storytelling activities; are you looking for rewarding reading resources that your pupils w …
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The Sky Beneath the Stone Poster
Posted on 14/02/22 in Books, Features for Teachers, Fun Stuff, Posters
Looking for something to brighten up your classroom, library or child’s bedroom? Download our free, printable The Sky Beneath the Stone poster, featur …
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The Sky Beneath the Stone Map
Posted on 14/02/22 in Books, Fun Stuff
Discover Underfell! Ivy North is an adventurer and expert map reader who can pitch a tent in four minutes flat. There’s just one problem. She’s afraid …
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Discover our Spooky Reads!
Posted on 29/10/21 in Books, Folk and Fairy Tales, Fun Stuff, Lari Don
Do you like scary stories? We do! (Well, nothing TOO scary…) This selection of some of our favourite spooky reads features witches and monsters, gho …
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Secrets of the Last Merfolk: Video Extract
Posted on 26/07/21 in Books, Extract, Fun Stuff, Video
“They gave you the box, they gave me the key. The merfolk exist, and they want us to find them…” In the quiet seaside town of Dunlyre, new friends F …
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Features for Teachers: Velda the Awesomest Viking
Posted on 28/05/21 in Extract, Features for Teachers, Fun Stuff, Launches and Events
Are you ready for an AWESOME adventure? Well, ARE YOU? Velda is a small girl with a BIG axe, and a BIGGER attitude! Join her on her quest as she makes …
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Guest Post: Hannah Foley on life as a writer and a nurse
Posted on 11/03/21 in Authors, Books, Guest posts
We are immensely proud to be working with Hannah Foley, who is not only an author and illustrator, but is also a district nurse. Her Kelpies Prize-win …
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The Otherwhere Emporium: Read an Extract
Posted on 03/08/20 in Extract, The Nowhere Emporium
The Nowhere Emporium has returned. In the following extract, Daniel Holmes, the owner of the Emporium, has just finished writing a new entry in the Bo …
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Win a Signed Copy of The Otherwhere Emporium
Posted on 20/07/20 in Competitions, Ross MacKenzie, The Nowhere Emporium
The Otherwhere Emporium is coming soon… But what do YOU think will happen? We have signed copies up for grabs for the most imaginative guesses, as c …
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Kelpies Video Library
Posted on 05/06/20 in Books, Fun Stuff, Video
On this page, you will find an alphabetical list of video content related to Kelpies books, available for free online. Subscribe to our YouTube channe …
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Find Your Local Unicorn
Posted on 27/03/20 in Books, Fun Stuff, Lari Don
Once upon a time in the kingdom of Scotland, a young prince lost his smile. No one could help Prince Donald find his smile until his friend Hana, the …
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Sharing Our Stories Online
Posted on 27/03/20 in Books, Features for Teachers
We recognise the need to be flexible in our approach to granting permissions to those looking to share our stories online. We are committed to finding …
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Extract: Artie Conan Doyle and the Scarlet Phantom
Posted on 29/11/19 in Books
Priceless stolen jewels. An invisible criminal. This case can only be solved by the world’s greatest detective. No, not Sherlock Holmes! Boy-detective …
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Animal Adventure Club: Otter Fact File
Posted on 09/08/19 in Books, Fun Stuff
How much do you know about otters? The Animal Adventure Club learned lots about these fascinating creatures in their latest adventure, The Baby Otter …
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Greyfriars Bobby – Reimagining a Legend
Posted on 30/07/19 in Guest posts, Traditional Scottish Tales
In this guest post, author Michelle Sloan discusses how she went about reimagining a world-famous Scottish legend for her brand new picture book, Grey …
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A Super Scotland Doodle Activity Pack
Posted on 26/07/19 in Extract, Fun Stuff
Visiting Scotland this summer? Looking for rainy-day activities to keep the children entertained? A Super Scotland Doodle Book is a must-have f …
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A Tour of Scotland in Stories
Posted on 04/07/19 in Extract, Folk and Fairy Tales, Theresa Breslin
We all know that Scotland is full of stories. It’s not surprising, really; the rugged mountains, mysterious lochs and impressive castles make the perf …
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Outcasts: Sneak Peek
Posted on 19/03/19 in Books, Extract
She had a stitch in her side and her legs were burning, but Dylan barely noticed. Her every thought was focused on Tristan running in front of her, an …
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Not Your Typical Unicorns…
Posted on 21/02/19 in Books, Fun Stuff
The unicorns of Lindsay Littleson’s latest middle grade novel are not your typical unicorns. Wild, dangerous, and hunted almost to extinction, read on …
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Meet the Animal Adventure Club!
Posted on 08/02/19 in Books, Fun Stuff
If there’s a wild animal in trouble, the Animal Adventure Club is here to help! Isla, Buzz, Gracie and new girl Lexi love animals, and they love helpi …
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Floris Books and Historic Environment Scotland team up!
Posted on 28/01/19 in Books
We’re thrilled to announce that Floris Books is collaborating with Scottish history experts Historic Environment Scotland to publish a brillian …
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New Year: New Kelpies!
Posted on 01/01/19 in Books, What We've Been Up To
Gooooood morning 2019! We can’t quite believe we’re here again already, but we have a whole new list of Kelpies coming to bookshelves near you in the …
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Kelpies for Christmas
Posted on 06/12/18 in Books, Christmas, Fun Stuff, What We've Been Up To
On the hunt for the ideal Kelpie to gift at Christmas this year? The season has well and truly landed here at Kelpies HQ (the tree’s up and everything …
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The Elsewhere Emporium is here… Are you ready?
Posted on 13/08/18 in Ross MacKenzie, The Nowhere Emporium
We only have to wait a tiny bit longer… The Elsewhere Emporium is reappearing 13 September 2018! In the carnival-tastic sequel to Ross MacKenzie’s T …
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The Elsewhere Emporium: An exclusive extract!
Posted on 02/08/18 in Extract, Ross MacKenzie, The Nowhere Emporium
Are you ready?! The Elsewhere Emporium is published SIX WEEKS TODAY. To tide you over until then, we’re giving you lucky DiscoverKelpies fans an exclu …
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Guest post: Alan Dapre on what makes a funny book
Posted on 20/04/18 in Books, Guest posts, Young Kelpies
What makes a funny book? Making a book laugh-out-loud (or even just quietly-giggling) funny is a huge challenge. But it’s something that Alan Dapré do …
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Kathleen Fidler – Author Perspectives
Posted on 19/04/18 in Authors, Books, Young Kelpies
Author of over 80 books, Kathleen Fidler remains a titan of children’s literature. Whilst she was born and raised in England and Wales, she spent the …
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The Blog Tour’s Afoot!
Posted on 16/03/18 in Authors, Books, Fun Stuff
Calling all amateur sleuths, budding detectives and eager bookworms – the wait is over! The second book in the Artie Conan Doyle Mysteries is publishi …
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Ferryman film rights sold to Hollywood
Posted on 18/01/18 in Books, What We've Been Up To
We’re incredibly excited that a Hollywood studio has optioned the Ferryman film rights. US production studio Legendary Entertainment has acquired the …
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New Kelpies galore join us in 2018!
Posted on 01/01/18 in Books
2018 will be the 15th birthday of the Floris Books Kelpies list. So, we thought it was only fitting to celebrate in style! We’ve got ALL these new Kel …
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The Treasure of the Loch Ness Monster: Cover Reveal!
Posted on 30/11/17 in Folk and Fairy Tales, Lari Don
Apparently 2017 was a record year for Loch Ness Monster sightings. We predict 2018 will be even better… We’re so excited to reveal the cover for The …
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#FlorisDesign meets Kathryn Selbert
Posted on 01/08/17 in Design and Illustration, Fun Stuff, Illustrators, Traditional Scottish Tunes
To many Scots, the Coulter’s Candy tune is often sung yet rarely seen. Floris Books is changing that with a new board book inspired by the quintessent …
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Books to Bring History Alive!
Posted on 26/07/17 in Books, Fun Stuff
History is fascinating and visiting a museum or historical location is a great way to fill up a rainy day over the school holidays. Combining a trip w …
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Author Interview: Alan Dapré
Posted on 20/07/17 in Author Interviews, Authors, Books, Young Kelpies
Alan Dapré is the author of over fifty books for children. He has also written over one hundred television scripts, transmitted home and abroad. His p …
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Top-Secret Grandad and Me: Meet the Patels
Posted on 07/07/17 in Books
You’d think a ghost grandad would be a great sidekick for a wannabe detective. Unfortunately, if there was a ‘being a good ghost’ exam, Jay’s top-secr …
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Singing Scottish songs to a new tune
Posted on 20/06/17 in Books, Traditional Scottish Tales, Traditional Scottish Tunes, Wee Kelpies
Some Scottish songs have been loved for generations. Burns’ “A Red, Red Rose” as a classic love song. “Coulter’s Candy” as a sweet rhyme passed down f …
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A sneak peek into Lily McLean’s diary
Posted on 23/03/17 in Extract, Lindsay Littleson
Lily McLean had a Mixed-Up Summer. Now she’s (not) looking forward to an Awkward Autumn. Telling people you hear voices doesn’t win you many friends. …
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Guest Blog – Telling stories through poetry by Louise Greig
Posted on 16/03/17 in Books, Guest posts
Spring-time is always a busy one at Floris HQ with lots of new books being published. In today’s guest blog post, Aberdonian author Louise Greig talks …
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Last Minute Christmas Gift Recommendations
Posted on 15/12/16 in Books
Tomorrow (Friday 16th December) is the last day for guaranteed Christmas delivery on orders from DiscoverKelpies.co.uk! But don’t panic – here are som …
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Gangin on a Word Hunt: translating the sounds of a classic into Scots
Posted on 17/08/16 in Books, Guest posts
by Susan Rennie There are many magical things about Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury’s classic picture book, We’re Going on a Bear Hunt: the hypnotic …
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Gaelic book reviews on BBC Radio nan Gàidheal
Posted on 21/04/16 in Books, Reviews
We were delighted to discover that five of our Kelpies books had been reviewed by keen Gaelic-speaking Kelpies readers for Aileag, BBC Radio nan Gaidh …
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Odin Blew Up My TV! extract
Posted on 21/04/16 in Books, Extract
Can’t wait to get the book? Read an the first chapter of Odin Blew Up My TV! right here! Chapter 1 — An Unexpected Forest As the 95A bus pulle …
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The Secret of the Kelpie in Scotland
Posted on 15/03/16 in Books
Every loch in Scotland, however beautiful, has its cold, dark depths. And every loch in Scotland has its kelpie. But it’s easy to forget those dangers …
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The Nowhere Emporium wins Blue Peter Best Story Award and Scottish Children’s Book Award 2016
Posted on 03/03/16 in Awards, Books
The Kelpies team are all thrilled to announce that Ross MacKenzie’s dazzling novel The Nowhere Emporium has won Best Story in this year’s the Blue Pet …
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Wrestling with a reluctant reader?
Posted on 27/10/15 in Books, Young Kelpies
I’m Suzanne, I work at Floris Books, and I have a reluctant reader. There. Now you know. I’ve said it. Until recently my 7 year old would read . . . …
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Why Do We Still Tell Fairy Tales?
Posted on 23/10/15 in Folk and Fairy Tales
Once upon a time, there was a mother who told a story to her infant son. The story was full of magic, danger and adventure, but in the end they all li …
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What is a Kelpie anyway?
Posted on 21/10/15 in Books
What is a Kelpie? Ask anybody in Scotland this question and they will most likely point you in the direction of Andy Scott’s impressive Kelpies sculpt …
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Have a sneaky peek at one of our spookiest #SpookyReads!
Posted on 28/10/14 in Authors, Books, Extract, Fun Stuff
One of our favourite things to do when it’s cold, wet and windy outside is to curl up somewhere warm and comfortable with a good book. And with Hallow …
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Maze Running and Other Magical Missions by Lari Don
Posted on 01/11/12 in Books, Fabled Beast Chronicles
Helen and her fabled beast friends have faced many dangers on their adventures together. Now they set out on their final quest. Join the heart-stoppin …
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The Kelpies Prize 2026: Shortlist Announced!
