My enormous thanks to Amy Turnbull at Luath Press for inviting me to participate in the blog tour for the children’s book The Hoolet Thit Couldnae Fly by Emma Grae illustratit by Bob Dewar and for sending me a copy of the book in return for an honest review. I’m delighted to share my review as part of the blog tour today.

The Hoolet Thit Couldnae Fly is published by Luath and is available for purchase here.

The Hoolet Thit Couldnae Fly

Ah want tae check she’s awricht. Ah kin luik there fur Brodie an aw.

Burds are meant tae fly.

Brodie the hoolet goes missin. Bein a hoolet wi a bad wing, the young lass Iona is feart fur Brodie’s safety. Her mammy is busy tryin tae get hur ready for school and the snaw is settlin in. But Brodie must be foond.

Iona sets aff, runnin through the gairden and explorin Mad Billy’s fairm. Brodie couldnae huv gone faur. Efter aw, she wis a hoolet thit couldnae fly.

A fantastic book by award-winning Scots author Emma Grae, it explores themes of confidence and celebrates the idea that it is okay to be different.

Learn Scots and meet all the animals we encounter searching for Brodie in this bonnie wee book. Perfect for readers aged 7-10

My Review of The Hoolet Thit Couldnae Fly

Iona’s hoolet Brodie is missing.

What a smashing children’s book. Written in Scots vernacular The Hoolet Thit Couldnae Fly has a real charm and vibrancy. There’s an immediacy to the story and I loved the chance to get a glimpse into a language I had only really thought of as dialect. 

The Hoolet Thit Couldnae Fly would be a fantastic book to share aloud with young readers as it gives status to Scots and, for those of us unfamiliar with the vocabulary, is more easily accessed by hearing the words. It could also be a real catalyst for classrooms where children can consider language, accent and dialect, sharing words from their own mother tongues. I’d love to see it as a drama performance too, so that it has use and longevity beyond simply being a story.

The narrative is charming because whilst it celebrates language, it also considers animal welfare, loneliness, grief and judging by appearance. Iona’s neighbour Mad Billy is mocked by society, but he is actually kindness personified. Consequently, as well as entertaining children, The Hoolet Thit Couldnae Fly educates them too, without being sanctimonious. 

Bob Dewar’s illustrations are super, and again, they could be used to spark other artwork by young readers. Add in the discussion questions at the end of the book there’s potential for further research and creative writing so that this short narrative offers all kinds of interest and potential. 

The Hoolet Thit Couldnae Fly is a cracking children’s book and very well worth adding to home or classroom bookshelves. I really enjoyed it! 

About Emma Grae

Emma Grae is a Scottish author and journalist from Glasgow. She is a passionate advocate of the Scots language and breaking the stigma around mental illness. She has published fiction and poetry in the UK and Ireland since 2014 in journals including The Honest Ulsterman, From Glasgow to Saturn and The Open Mouse. Her debut novel, Be Guid tae yer Mammy, was published by Unbound in August 2021.

As a journalist, she writes under her birth surname, Guinness, and has bylines in a number of publications including Cosmopolitan, the Huffington Post and the Metro.

Emma was recently awarded Scots Book of the Year for her debut novel Be guid tae yer Mammy at the Scots Language Awards 2022.

For further information, follow Emma on Twitter/X @emmagraeauthor. You’ll also find Emma on Instagram.

About Bob Dewar