A KILBARCHAN teacher is on a mission to change the way children think of unicorns.

Lindsay Littleson is celebrating the release of her new book Guardians of the Wild Unicorns, which aims to show the legendary animals in a different light.

It follows primary seven pupils Lewis and Rhona on a residential trip to the Highlands, where they discover real unicorns do exist and need their help.

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Lindsay, who teaches at Kilbarchan Primary, said she was inspired to write the story after learning the unicorn is Scotland’s national animal.

She added: “I thought it was a bit strange that we had a mythical creature as our national animal but what I found out is that a lot of people really did believe they existed.

“Mary, Queen of Scots, used powdered horn of unicorn to check if her food was poisoned. Marco Polo thought he saw one on his travels but it was probably a rhinoceros because he said it was really ugly.

“In Scotland, they became an important part of our culture.

“I started to wonder ‘what if they were real, they lived in the Highlands and were being poached for their horns, the way rhinos are?’

The Gazette:

“The book is intended for all readers. It’s an adventure story.”

As a teacher, Lindsay knows all about residential trips and she used this experience to ground her story in reality, while putting a lot of thought into imagining what unicorns would be like.

“They are magical but they’re not sparkly and gentle,” said Lindsay. “I wanted to get away from that version of what unicorns have become and bring them back home, in a way.

“They’ve become pink, fluffy toys, aimed very much at girls, and that annoyed me.

“The unicorns of my story are wild creatures.

“I’m interested to hear what my readers think. Children don’t tend to review but I go out to meet them at libraries and school events and get feedback.

“I’m hoping it will be positive and I hope I get as many boy readers as girls.”

While it was always her dream to be a children’s author, 57-year-old Lindsay didn’t begin writing until 2014.

Her first book, The Mixed-Up Summer of Lily McLean, was published the following year – and she hasn’t slowed down since.

Guardians of the Wild Unicorns is her fourth book – and the first to be released in the USA – while her fifth, The Titanic Detective Agency, is scheduled for release later this year.

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Lindsay, who lives in Uplawmoor, said: “When I was a child, I told everyone I would grow up to be a children’s author – but life gets in the way.

“I became a teacher and had my children, so that kept me busy. Then, as they grew up, I realised I was just sitting watching television while they were out doing creative stuff, so I started to write. 

“I looked around for competitions and my first novel won the Kelpies Prize, with the reward being publication, which is about the best start you can hope for.”

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