"I miss school!" exclaimed Gaia, standing by the window.
Julia, her grandmother, rose slowly from her armchair and took a few steps towards Gaia.
It was a cloudy morning. There was no sun. The sky was covered by a mantle of fog...
***
Not so long ago, nomadic communities in Scotland told stories around camp fires and slept in bow tents made of hazel and canvas. In this book, their culture is introduced through Cant’s vocabulary, a dialect spoken by Scottish travellers. Following them, Serendipity takes you to Helge’s Hole in Forres, Hermitage Forest in Dunkeld, and Glen Lyon in Perth, meandering through the valleys and cragged peaks of the Scottish Highlands, in a quest for Truth, Beauty and Goodness. Dive into Scottish culture as the old grandmother, Julia, recounts to her granddaughter Gaia the tale of a little girl of pure heart. With love for nature, the story takes us to Titania’s court, the Queen of the People of Peace, to defeat the Giants of the Underworld and restore balance to the Land of the Young.
***
I recently read a book called Before the Swallows Come Back by Fiona Curnow. The reason I am mentioning this book here is that it is set in Scotland and one of the characters is a traveller. This book inspired me to find our more about the traveller community. If you would like to read the review you can find it here.
So when the author, Maria de Fatima Santos, asked me if I would consider reading her book, I was delighted to do so as it is about the traditional traveller stories which are passed on from the older generation to the next.
It is a fantasy story aimed at middle grade readers. It is clearly a story from the oral tradition, when the travellers sat cosily around a camp fire relating stories to one another. It transports the reader to that setting and the way of life of the Scottish travellers.
The text is littered with 'traveller' language which is highlighted in green with their meaning alongside. Additionally, there is a glossary at the back which translates these words too.
The illustrations are very evocative and they have been well executed and selected for inclusion in the book.
Children who enjoy fantasy stories will like reading this short book. It is due for release on the 22nd of July.
ISBN: 978 1912092277
Publisher: Palavro
Formats: e-book and paperback
No. of Pages: 60 (paperback)
About the Author:
Maria was born in Angola and brought up in Portugal.
Maria moved to Scotland in 2007 and now divides her time between Portugal and Scotland. Maria has a profound love of the natural world and is deeply interested in regenerative projects in agriculture, horticulture and forestry. She loves photographing nature and landscape - particularly in Scotland. Her writing stems from her passions for nature, Celtic culture and storytelling - all of which she explores in her debut novel, "Serendipity". Maria wrote "Serendipity" as a tribute to her own grandmother.
(media courtesy of the author)
(all opinions are my own)
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