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At the Scottish Heritage Symposium in March, Michael Newton and Rhiannon Giddens announced the publication of their new activity book for children, Calum and Catriona's Welcome to the Highlands. Shortly afterwards, Michael sent me a copy which I immediately opened and read with interest.
This is the first book of its kind, as far as I know, that has ever been written for the purpose of educating American children of Scottish highland background about their own heritage. It also will help to fill a need to teach any child about the Scottish highlands and highlanders in North America in a series of fun exercises. This is an area that is sadly and ashamedly lacking in our education system. Very little North Carolina history is offered in our schools, and none at all related to the history and vast influence that the Scottish highlanders and their descendants had and are still having on the state and nation.
All of the material in Calum and Catrìona's Welcome to the Highlands is based on authentic Highland tradition and history, backed up by solid scholarship. It is suggested for children in the 8-12 year old range. (However I'm sure a lot of adults will find it fascinating also.) There is a map of Scotland showing clearly the highland and lowland areas with an exercise entitled "Where in Alba?" There are pages on the Gaelic language including one on the very first form of Gaelic, Ogham, with puzzles to solve. There are stories about highland heroes such as Finn MacCool, Somerled, St. Columba and Coinneach Odhar, the Brahan Seer. There are Gaelic proverbs and all sorts of other subjects covered in imaginative ways. It contains word searches, connect-the-dots, map exercises, a logic puzzle, two solo battleship games, word scrambles, de-cyphering puzzles, pictures for coloring, a maze, a recipe puzzle, and word puzzles.
Kathleen Ernst, author of the book Betrayal at Cross Creek and the 2006 recipient of the Flora MacDonald Award from the Scottish Heritage Center at St. Andrews Presbyterian College, states "The book is a much-needed resource for parents, teachers, or anyone else looking for ways to help children explore Scottish history and heritage. The games and puzzles were designed to appeal to a range of ages and learning styles. Young children will enjoy word searches and mazes, for example, while those a little older will delight in learning a few words of Gaelic, identifying Highland weapons, making oatcakes, and exploring geography. Best of all, kids enjoying the activities will gain historically accurate insight into diverse aspects of Scottish culture. All in all, this is a perfect book for backseat travelers heading home from Highland Games, or for a classroom study of Scottish heritage."
This is a book that should be in every school library and every home with children. Let's hope that our Scottish American community will support this sort of publishing effort and that there will be other books of the sort from Michael and Rhiannon and Saorsa Media in the future. . Copies of Calum and Catriona's Welcome to the Highlands may be ordered from the websites below for $9.95 (plus shipping and handling) (40 pages. ISBN 0-9713858-1-5), or from the North Carolina Scottish Heritage Society for $9.95 plus $3.00 shipping and handling. Contact Anne Landin, Treasurer, 1690 Plainfield Church Road, Siler City, North Carolina 27344.
Dr. Michael Newton is also the author of, among other things, We're Indians Sure Enough: The Legacy of the Scottish Highlanders in the United States; and A Handbook of the Scottish Gaelic World. Rhiannon Giddens is an extremely talented and versatile musician and artist. More information can be found at:
http://www.calumandcatriona.com/index.html and at the Saorsa Media website: http://www.saorsamedia.com/
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