Have fun with the manky mingin' rhymes

by Beth Pearson

“It’s feeling quite vibrant at the moment,” confirms Philipa Cochrane, manager of Braw (Books Reading And Writing, the children’s books division of the Scottish Book Trust). 

“Scottish books are very important – they’re how children have access to their culture and literary heritage. There’s now a whole range from picture books to teens, as browsing in any bookshop will show.” 

These cover territory from contemporary tales set against a subtly Scottish backdrop to broad Scots stories penned by writers such as Fitt. He, for one, welcomes the renaissance. 

“I think that many parents and teachers are looking for more than the traditional fayre of Hieland coos and Nessie stories, which publishers have been serving up to young Scottish readers for generations,” says the writer (and development officer at Itchy Coo publishers). 

“Very little tartan features in Itchycoo books and it is the rich expressiveness of the Scots language coupled with modern, top-quality illustrations which lies behind their success.” 

Meanwhile, a new publishing company based in the Scottish Borders, Serafina Press, offers a different representation of Scottishness in its books. Titles including the Berwick Bear and forthcoming Eyemouth Mermaid feature accurate illustrations of their respective seaside town settings. 

Jennifer T. Doherty is one of the company’s founders. “I think parents may well want particularly Scottish books, but in addition to, rather than as a replacement for, everything else,” she says. “We wanted our books to reflect some of the feeling of the Borders. The Scottish side, yes, but generally the colours, scenery and types of buildings. 

“It’s very special to see your home or some other aspect of your life represented anywhere, but I suspect the local setting is more important to the adults. The children I’ve seen pick up the Berwick Bear just like the bear.” 

Other Serafina books are less obviously Scottish. The Mouse of Gold, by Doherty and Gerald Goldin, is not linked to any particular place, but the landscape inhabited by the mouse invokes that of the Borders. 

There’s no such room for interpretation with Itchy Coo books, which have a clear cultural aim. “Our remit from the Scottish Arts Council is to promote reading in Scots,” says Fitt. “Traditionally, our schools have not taught us to read and write in Scots, although this is changing. 

“Books like the Wee Book o’ Fairy Tales in Scots and King o’ the Midden have caught the attention of parents who find great enjoyment in reading to their children in their own language and would not have read such books when they themselves were children.” 

Given this generation gap, where should the parent who is new to Scots or Scottish children’s literature begin? “We would advise working as a family to give access to reading together,” says Cochrane. “Making it fun is the way to make it easy, so find things that parent and child enjoy reading.” 

Fitt is more specific: “Start with wee rhymes like Katie’s Coo, try out Snaw White in the Wee Book o Fairy Tales, have fun with the manky mingin rhymes in Blethertoun Braes, and then you’ll be ready to take on Mr and Mrs Eejit and the bowfin honkin things they do to each other.” 

Yet he is unable to select a single Scots word every Scottish child should learn by rote. 

“Heid, oxter, bonnie, greetin, paddock, bubblyjock … there is not one single word. The answer should really be ‘all of them’. This unique language belongs to everybody and is there for everyone to look after.” 

 

www.itchy-coo.com www.smokehousegallery.co.uk/serafina

Gaelic Reading

The number and quality of Gaelic books available for children and young adults has greatly increased in recent years. As Ian MacDonald of the Gaelic Book Council explains: "There are various reasons, but two main ones.  First, special funding has been made available, and second, there has been much development of Gaelic?medium education, which has led to a need for many more books, both for school and general reading." 

Acair, based in Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis, publishes a range of titles suitable for pre-school to teenage readers. This includes a pre-school "first words" picture book that would also be suitable for older children – and, perhaps, parents - coming to the language for the first time. 

Gaelic translations of well-known children's books in English are also available, including An Gruffalo, by Julia Donaldson (author) and Axel Scheffler (illustrator). 

MacDonald is particularly pleased with the range of books for teenagers now available. "There had been a dearth of these - even after a significantly greater number of books for the younger child had been made available," he says. "But now the gap has been at least partly filled, although there is much still to do, as with all categories of Gaelic book." 

www.acairbooks.com 

www.gaelicbooks.net