Lari’s stories keep myths and legends alive for children

A fascination with the legendary kelpie inspired her latest books

Mention kelpies and most people will picture the giant horse’s head sculptures which have turned Falkirk into a must-visit destination. But children’s author Lari Don has dug far deeper into history for her new book, which celebrates the uniquely Scottish water spirits.

Lari, who lives in Edinburgh has drawn on ancient legends from around the country for The Secret of the Kelpie, and has fallen so far under the spell of the creatures that there is a kelpie character in the novel she is writing now.

“Inspired by the Scottish landscape, and by old myths, legends, folktales and fairy tales, from Scotland and from all over the world, Lari says: “That’s what feeds my imagination. But every single book I write starts with a question I want to answer.”

Lari didn’t start writing for children until she had kids of her own and she has always tested her stories on her two daughters, now 16 and 13.

“They are very enthusiastic but also very critical,” she says.

“And I know I’m getting the story right when they get really annoyed at me for being horrible to my characters!”

The Secret of the Kelpie is a retelling of the old story of the kelpie. “It’s a story that has been told in different ways with different endings – happy and horrible – for generations all over Scotland.

“The idea I had was to find a way to reflect all that magic and mystery in one story, and the challenge was to retell a story about a monster who tries to steal and eat children, in a way that was suitable but that wasn’t ripping the heart out of the original monster story,” she explains.

“So I didn’t start with the kelpie. I started with the children who meet the kelpie, with a little girl called Flora who is suspicious of this beautiful horse with wet hooves, and who refuses to climb on when her big brothers and sisters decide to go for a ride.

“The questions I asked were: why is Flora suspicious? How can she save her family? And what is the kelpie’s secret?”

Lari does various school tours to share her stories. “I love ending the reading at an exciting bit, just when they want to know what happens next,” she smiles. “And I love encouraging kids to have their own story ideas.”

The Secret of the Kelpie by Lari Don, illustrated by Philip Longson, is published by Floris Books, priced £5.99.

I love encouraging kids to have their own story ideas.

Picture: Alan McCredie. Lari loves firing children’s imaginations and inspiring them to write stories.