Katie Morag facts for kids
Katie Morag is a much-loved character from a series of children's picture books. These books were written and illustrated by Mairi Hedderwick. The stories are known for being gentle and funny. They also have a strong sense of place. Katie herself is a lively and independent character. The books are set on a make-believe place called the Isle of Struay. This island is located off the west coast of Scotland. Katie Morag lives near the island's only shop and jetty. Her mother works as the postmistress there. Her father runs the general store.
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About the Katie Morag Books
Many parts of the Isle of Struay, including its landscapes and characters, are inspired by Arinagour. This is a real village on the Scottish island of Coll in the Inner Hebrides. Mairi Hedderwick, the author, lived on Coll for many years. Her daughter still runs a pottery shop there.
In the books, the small island community connects to the mainland by a ferry. At first, the ferry only came once a week on "Boat Day." Later, after a new pier was built in the fifth book, it started coming three times a week.
Important Characters: Grannies
A very important character in the books is Katie Morag's "Grannie Island." She lives further around the bay. You can often find her wearing her dungarees. She is usually driving or fixing her tractor. Sometimes she is surrounded by cats near her Rayburn stove.
Grannie Island is very different from Katie Morag's "Granma Mainland," who is much calmer. Grannie Island has been praised as a great role model. She shows the strength of women. She also challenges old ideas about what women should do. Mairi Hedderwick had first planned for this character to be a man. But her North American publisher suggested she make the character a woman. This worked out well, as Hedderwick herself often drove her old tractor.
Katie Morag in Schools
In England, a short National Curriculum unit for young children (ages six and seven) is called "An island home." This unit is linked to the Katie Morag series. It often uses the book Katie Morag and the Two Grandmothers. The book Katie Morag and the New Pier has also been used. It helps discuss how communities can change and what they might gain or lose from those changes.
The most recent book, Katie Morag and the Dancing Class, was nominated for the Kate Greenaway Medal in 2008. This award celebrates amazing illustrations in children's books.
Books Around the World
Many books in the series have been translated. You can find Katie Morag books in Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Finnish, Japanese, and Scottish Gaelic.
Books in the Series
Omnibus Collections
- The Katie Morag Storybook (contains two Katie Morag stories)
- The Second Katie Morag Storybook (collects the first four Katie Morag picture books)
- The Katie Morag Treasury (collects the second four Katie Morag picture books)
Katie Morag on Screen and Stage
There were many ideas to turn the Katie Morag stories into a TV show. In 1997, a Scottish filmmaker named Don Coutts bought the rights to make the books into films. Later, in 2002-2003, he worked on ideas for an animated series. This was with Red Kite Animation in Edinburgh.
The TV Series
In November 2012, the BBC's CBeebies channel announced they would make a live-action TV series. It would have 26 episodes, each 14 minutes long. Don Coutts' company, Move on Up, made the series. Actors were chosen in Stornoway in March 2013. Filming took place on the Isle of Lewis in May 2013. Some scenes were filmed in the remote village of Tolsta Chaolais.
The TV show started in the autumn of 2013. The first two stories were shown on CBeebies on November 3, 2013. The series also has a Gaelic soundtrack. This was recorded for BBC Alba.
Stage Play
A stage play based on Katie Morag was created in 2005 by Lisa Grindall for Mull Theatre. It used the characters and setting from the books but had a new story and songs. After a successful tour, it was brought back as a Christmas show in 2007. It toured again in 2008.
Promoting Health and Art
In the 1990s, Mairi Hedderwick turned down an offer to use Katie Morag to promote tourism. However, in 2007, she allowed NHS Highland to use illustrations from her books. These were adapted into posters for Breastfeeding Awareness Week. The campaign promoted breastfeeding in the region. Its slogan was "Breastfeeding... A Part of Family Life in Highland." Katie Morag's mum is sometimes shown breastfeeding in the books. This simply shows the warmth of home and family life. It reflects Hedderwick's own experiences.
A Katie Morag exhibition was held in Edinburgh in 2005. It featured original drawings and book covers. It also showed how a book develops. The exhibition was later shown in Stornoway in 2006. Mairi Hedderwick often visits primary schools. She leads storytelling sessions and explains how she creates her books. She often brings Katie Morag's teddy bear, who travels in his own black bag. In 2009, she organized a special Katie Morag competition for schools. This helped raise money for a new community center on Coll.
Katie Morag was also featured in a TV documentary in 1993. It was part of BBC Scotland's Ex-S series. In this show, Mairi Hedderwick talked about her stories and her plans for the character.
