Pop into these Edinburgh bookshops this Thursday to meet @laridonwriter.bsky.social and @elisecillustration.com! Approx times: 9:30 @edinburghbookshop.bsky.social 10:00 Blackwell's South Bridge 10:30 Waterstones Edinburgh 11:00 @goldenharebooks.bsky.social 11:30 Ginger & Pickles

Wow, Philip Longson's illustrations are so beautiful and dramatic! But beware - Halloween is not a night to trust Fairy Queens, or any other beings in fancy dresses and cloaks!

"At midnight, Janet heard the fairy queen's army, marching through all the fairy queen's lands on Halloween night..." Have you heard the tale of Tam Linn? @laridonwriter.bsky.social's fabulous retelling, illustrated by Phillip Longson, is perfect for children aged 5+ discoverkelpies.co.u...

Looking for something fun to brighten up a bedroom, classroom or library? (Or, like us, an office!) Don't miss your free pdf poster featuring @elisecillustration.com's beautifully dramatic waterhorse and selkie king from the cover of #CelticFolkAndFairyTales! discoverkelpies.co.u...

Ooh look! I get to visit some of my favourite #bookshops and #booksellers! And meet the #illustrator whose work I’ve been admiring through many many edits! (And sign lots of shiny books for readers too…) @elisecillustration.com #Edinburgh #CelticTales #signedbooks

Did someone say SIGNED COPIES? We're taking @laridonwriter.bsky.social and @elisecillustration.com on a tour of some of Edinburgh's lovely bookshops! Pop in to meet the creators of #CelticFolkAndFairyTales and grab a signed copy! @edinburghbookshop.bsky.social @goldenharebooks.bsky.social

What are your favourite children's books for #SpookySeason? Head over to our blog to see some of ours, including a sneak peek at Jude Reid's debut (out March 2026!), plus favourites from @laridonwriter.bsky.social, Ross Mackenzie, @alexnye.bsky.social and more! discoverkelpies.co.uk/2021/10/spoo...

Don't miss @laridonwriter.bsky.social guest post for @booksfromscotland.bsky.social - all about the fascinating connections between stories told in different places across the Celtic lands! Read it here: booksfromscotland.com/2025/10/celt... #CelticFolkAndFairyTales #CelticTales

Oooh! Maps and stories! Two of my favourite things!

Travel to the Celtic lands with stories of magic, myth and mischief retold by @laridonwriter.bsky.social illustrated by @elisecillustration.com. Discover tales linked to each location on our interactive map, and read Lari's guest post on what we mean by 'Celtic'! discoverkelpies.co.uk/news-features/

Happy book birthday to @laridonwriter.bsky.social and @elisecillustration.com - the stunning Celtic Folk and Fairy Tales is out today! We highly recommend you watch this fantastic video of Lari telling her version of the Manx waterhorse tale: youtu.be/wv6NhdtnPVk

How DO you escape from a waterhorse? If you listen carefully, you might find the answer in this story! Sit back, relax, and enjoy @laridonwriter.bsky.social tell the story of Kirree, a young girl from the Isle of Man, who found herself confronted by a fearsome Glashtin! youtu.be/wv6NhdtnPVk

I love telling trad tales out loud! So @florisbooks.bsky.social created a video of me telling the first tale in our Celtic Folk And Fairy Tales collection. Here’s our 12 min 'How To Escape a Waterhorse' with magical artwork by @elisecillustration.com #storytelling www.youtube.com/watch?v=wv6N...

The #KelpiesPrize for Writing and Illustration 2026 is NOW OPEN for entries! We're looking for new writers and illustrators who live in Scotland and want to make a career in children's books. If that sounds like you, head to our website for full details! discoverkelpies.co.uk/kelpies-priz...

I've turned my writing shed into a studio so I can film wee clips about my new book Celtic Folk And Fairy Tales to share with you. I've even filmed a full-length telling of one Celtic tale! Doesn't @elisecillustration.com artwork look splendid on the walls? @discoverkelpies.bsky.social #storytelling

Balor is not a friendly-looking giant, is he? And the pulley to lift his drooping eyelid is a complex mix of physics and magic (which, to be fair, is one of my favourite story mixtures!) Very impressed that @elisecillustration.com and the folk at @florisbooks.bsky.social got it right! #kidlitart

"The fanged and furry monster looked ferocious, but it didn’t eat people very often. The Afanc only ate people if they annoyed it. However, it was quite easy to annoy the Afanc..." How do you annoy this Welsh monster? @laridonwriter.bsky.social @elisecillustration.com #CelticFolkAndFairyTales

"Balor was huge, twice the size of any other giant. He had one eye much bigger than the other, with a massive heavy dropping eyelid pierced by an ivory ring, linked by ropes to ten more rings in his bristly eyebrow..." @laridonwriter.bsky.social @elisecillustration.com discoverkelpies.co.u...

This is gorgeous! Fascinating to see how the #selkie girl changed over time. (I only met the final version...) What wonderful work by @elisecillustration.com and indeed the fabulously creative folk of @florisbooks.bsky.social #theevolutionofaselkie #kidlitart #celticfolkandfairytales

Travel to the magical Celtic lands to meet shapeshifting selkies, duelling dragons, and a terrifying waterhorse... Thanks to @sophieanderson.bsky.social for this brilliant review of Celtic Folk and Fairy Tales by @laridonwriter.bsky.social & @elisecillustration.com discoverkelpies.co.u...

From first rough to final illustration! We love @elisecillustration.com interpretation of the selkie princess in @laridonwriter.bsky.social retelling of The Selkie Hunter in Celtic Folk and Fairy Tales. What differences can you spot between the first sketch and the final artwork?

Look who's now on Bluesky! If you are a fan of stories inspired by traditional tales and local folklore, featuring marvellous monsters and clever heroes, give her a follow! @laridonwriter.bsky.social

Only 2 more days until the publication of Abdullah's Bear Needs a Name! by debut author Yasmin Hanif and @sophiebenmouyal.bsky.social! 🧸💛 Thanks to KILTS (Kids' Literature Scotland) for this fantastic review. Pre-order a copy from the Kelpies website now!📚

Win Firebloom by Justin Davies in our Bookzilla Book of the Month competition! 🔥 Thanks to @discoverkelpies.bsky.social, we have 5️⃣ copies of this fun and lively middle-grade adventure to give away.

Beyond thrilled to have been chosen as the winner of the Kelpies Prize for Writing 2025 - I had such a great time meeting the other shortlisted writers especially, and am very excited to see where this road takes me!

Happy #TeddyBearDay! 🐻 Download, colour in and name your own teddy bear here: discoverkelpies.co.u...#TeddyBearDay! @YHanifWrites debut #PictureBook Abdullah’s Bear Needs a Name, illustrated by Sophie Benmouyal, is out on 18th September. Preorder now on the Kelpies website.

We had a wonderful time on Friday evening at the #KelpiesPrize for Writing and Illustration award ceremony! Congratulations to our 2025 winners, Tem Rae Wilder and Joshua Dau, and thank you to special guest presenter Alice Melvin. See some of the winners' work: discoverkelpies.co.uk/kelpies-priz...

We're having great fun with @discoverkelpies.bsky.social and Justin Davies for the launch of Firebloom! No jellyfish were harmed in the making of this book 🪼 #Bruntsfield #Edinburgh #Edimbourg #books #livres #ChildrensBooks #LivresJeunesse

We had fun with the launch of Firebloom from Justin Davies (pub @discoverkelpies.bsky.social ) in @edinburghbookshop.bsky.social www.flickr.com/photos/woola... Readings, sea shanties, drawing jellyfish, plus cake!! #books #livres #Edinburgh #Edimbourg #Bruntsfield #Photography #Photographie

A packed @edinb for the launch of the brilliant #MG Firebloom, written by the wonder that is Justin Davies and illustrated by the fabulous Francesca Ficorilli Published by @florisbooks.bsky.social, it's out now! Full of jellyfish, intrigue and mayhem, you'll be hooked from the first page!

A lovely evening at the launch of FIREBLOOM by #JustinDavies at @edinburghbookshop.bsky.social . Every book launch should includes jellyfish facts and sea shanties! @florisbooks.bsky.social #KidLitUk #Firebloom

Abdullah's Bear Needs a Name by Yasmin Hanif and @sophiebenmouyal.bsky.social is a gentle yet powerful story about the value of cultural heritage🧸 Thank you to @maisiechanwrites.bsky.social for the wonderful review! ❤️ Pre-order your copy now: discoverkelpies.co.u...

Just 2 dates left to catch this brilliant show with Janis Mackay and Nada Shawa! Mending Nets puts forward the simple and radical belief that the act of sharing stories and poetry from our lands can help people retrieve an unravelled sense of identity. ❤️ edfringe.com/tickets/what...

Avast me hearties! We're welcoming Justin Davies to the shop THIS Saturday at 11am, he'll be signing copies of his latest maritime themed book: Firebloom! He'll be signing, we'll be singing sea shanties from about half past (Joke! Or is it...) #ChooseBookshops @discoverkelpies.bsky.social

One of our favourite children's authors, Justin Davies, is heading to Linlithgow this Saturday to sign copies of his latest book, Firebloom - in which the isle of Stormcliff prepares for the annual Firebloom jellyfish festival! For more info and tickets: tinyurl.com/FFTMCFirebloom

Can you believe it's been ten years to the day since we published the first adventure of Thorfinn the Nicest Viking? Huzzah! ⚒️ David MacPhail is getting all sentimental over on the Kelpies blog as he looks back over the years, and ahead at what's next!

It’s the start of the school year in Scotland, so let’s go #BackToSchool with Abdullah and his bear! Yasmin Hanif's debut #PictureBook Abdullah’s Bear Needs a Name, illustrated by Sophie Benmouyal, is publishing on 18th September. Find out more: discoverkelpies.co.u...

My #middlegrade book this week is Justin Davies' wibbly wobbly FIREBLOOM, a clever, fun and fast-paced mystery with excellent worldbuilding and characters. Jellytastic! Read more 👉 alastairc.com/i-am-reading... #IAmReading #Firebloom #JustinDavies #KidLitUk @florisbooks.bsky.social

This month is #SouthAsianHeritageMonth, which seemed like the perfect opportunity to share Abdullah's Bear Needs a Name from debut author Yasmin Hanif 🧸A gentle yet powerful story about the value of cultural heritage, out September discoverkelpies.co.uk/books/uncate...

From @discoverkelpies.bsky.social discover THE EDGE OF THE SILVER SEA “this wildly magical upper middle-grade fantasy explores family and friendship, the balance between humans and nature, and the people and places we embrace as our own” summerreadingchallenge.org.uk/book/28126340

Not long till you can get your tentacles on Justin Davies' #FIREBLOOM! For fans of funny fantasy, panto villains & magic glowing jellies🪼 Pre-order now or ask your local indie bookshop discoverkelpies.co.uk/books/advent... ‪Thanks to @lawrencepatrice.bsky.social and Maria Kuzniar for early reviews!

We're delighted that My Name is Samim is a LoveReading4Kids Debut of the Month! Read what @lovereading4kids.bsky.social has to say about Fidan Meikle's stunning debut novel. www.lovereading4kids.co.uk/book/9781782...

On this excellent #kidsbook list with additional resources, we're glad to see THE FOX GIRL AND THE WHITE GAZELLE by @strangelymagic.bsky.social and published by @discoverkelpies.bsky.social schoolreadinglist.co.uk/genres/refug...

This list of 50 #kidsbook suggestions for 10-12-year-olds shows how new and older titles grow into new classics. Includes a pair from @whatonearth.bsky.social and #fantasy from @florisbooks.bsky.social schoolreadinglist.co.uk/reading-list...

#Midsummer is the most magical time of the year. Helen is excited to play violin for the Midsummer’s Eve concert, but danger lurks closer than she realises. If you love perilous quests and mythical creatures you'll love Wolf Notes, the second book in Lari Don's Fabled Beast Chronicles series!

Thrilled for all the incredible writers and illustrators shortlisted in this year's #KelpiesPrize with @discoverkelpies.bsky.social. Some truly fabulous entries that I hope to see in printed book form soon. 😁

We're delighted to announce the #KelpiesPrize 2025 shortlist! Congratulations to: ✍️@debsca.bsky.social, Ross MacKay, Steve McKenna, @taslinpollock.bsky.social, @temwilder.bsky.social 🎨Jessica Bolevin, Siena Cameron, Joshua Dau, Grace Owens, Laura K Sayers discoverkelpies.co.u...

Fidan Meikle, author of My Name is Samim shares the importance of reading about other children’s lives. Thank you @booktrust.org.uk! Such an important book to share with children this #RefugeeWeek. www.booktrust.org.uk/resources/fi...

MyNameIsSamim author Fidan's guest blog on libraries with @cilipscotland.bsky.social is an inspiring read perfect for #LibrariesWeek! www.cilips.org.uk/wa...#LibrariesWeek! Plus, there’s not long until #SummerReadingChallenge! Find the Kelpies books on this year's list in your local library.

Eid Mubarak to everyone celebrating today! We hope you enjoy this illustration of a lovely family Eid celebration from Yasmin Hanif's debut #PictureBook Abdullah's Bear Needs a Name - published this September and illustrated by @sophiebenmouyal.bsky.social discoverkelpies.co.uk/books/uncate...