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"A labour of love from both creators ... this is about being safe and cosy, and about the remembered happiness of family, home, friends, pets and landscape." The Sunday Times"A wild, imaginative picture book, filled with enduring tenderness" Guardian"A warm hug of a book ... this also seems as personal as any of Kay's poetry. And as full of love." The Herald, Book of the Month"Dreamy and beautifully illustrated ... a magical book." The Scotsman"Beautifully poignant ... brimming with love." The Sunday PostThe stunning debut picture book from Jackie Kay, one of the UK's foremost poets, rooted in familiar folk songs, and injected with gloriously lyrical old Scots.
When Shona was a wee bit bairnHer daddy would sing Coorie Doon,Till she cooried doon and fell asleepUnder the huge eye o' the moon.Every night, Shona is tucked into bed by her loving parents, who sing her old and familiar folk songs:
Tiree Love Song; Goodnight, Irene and
Will Ye Go, Lassie, Go? And as Shona sleeps, we follow the people and places that drift into her dream world: her best "fiere", Ali, her dog, Marley, her cat, Flo... Then, years later, we meet Shona when she is sixty - actually sixty years old! - as she tucks her daddy, now an old man, into bed. And it is her turn to sing to him: "Coorie Doon, Coorie Doon, wee Daddy".
Magnificently illustrated by Jill Calder, this is a truly original picture book that celebrates the small, perfect rituals of childhood and how they become a vital part of who we are. The book also includes a QR code to scan that will link through to a video from Jackie Kay and free audio recordings of songs from the book from legendary folk singers Peggy Seeger, Claire Brown and Suzanne Bonnar.
About the author
Jackie Kay was born in Edinburgh. A poet, novelist and writer of short stories, she has enjoyed great acclaim for her work for both adults and children and her novel,
Trumpet, won the
Guardian Fiction Prize. From 2016-21 she was the third modern Makar, the National Poet for Scotland. She lives in Manchester and is Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Salford.
Jill Calder is an award-winning illustrator born in Dundee and now based in Fife. She has illustrated such books as Michael Rosen's
What Is Poetry? Her work has been displayed in many institutions including the V&A Museum, The National Museum of Scotland and The Royal Scottish Academy. In addition to her illustrative work, Jill is also a calligrapher, digital artist and lecturer.
