Three new Scottish themed picture books have just been added to the Picture Kelpies catalogue which are sure to be loved by children, parents and grandparents.
Orange Juice Peas is a very funny story about a babysitter who misunderstands her charge’s requests. Â Our toddlers’ mispronounciations are things we’ve all giggled over, and adopted as family lore, indeed, in the Coon family we still say “Put on your beat belts” when we get in the car, despite my daughters being thirtysomething. The patience of poor wee Jessie as she is given peas with everything is perhaps not something we expect or get from toddlers but this is a delightful story by Lari Don and Lizzie Wells’ illustrations work beautifully.
Orange Juice Peas (Picture Kelpies) is available here from Amazon
Lost at the Zoo by Gill Arbuthnott, illustrated by Joanne Nethercott, is the story of Rory the pet mouse who falls out of Sam’s pocket on a visit to the zoo and gets lost. Rory tries to describe Sam but omits to mention that Sam is a human being and so is sent to one after another animal. It’s an imaginative tale and a charming way to meet a number of zoo animals.
Lost at the Zoo (Picture Kelpies) is available here from Amazon
Hairy Hettie is another tale of Jo Allan’s Hettie the Highland Cow. As Hettie goes through the year, various birds, insects and even animals take refuge in her long hair. They lay eggs, rear their young  and keep warm through the winter. The following spring Hettie has had enough and goes to get help from Granny Macleod. After a nice haircut for Hettie, all the animals and insects find new homes. Some children might find the insect laying a bit unpleasant and might wonder why it took so long for anyone to notice Hettie’s problem but, as with the previous book, Hungry Hettie, there’s a moral about nature knowing best and getting there in the end.
Hairy Hettie (Picture Kelpies) is available here from Amazon
