Lari Don

An open book, showing a page with a couple of lines of text visible at the top, and below an illustration of market stalls, filled with flowers and shoes and loaves of bread. The stalls are brightly coloured – blue, yellow, red – and the whole scene is cheerful. As well as people buying and selling at the stalls, there is a grey-haired woman sitting down telling a tale to a group of children gathered at her feet. The flowers and grass towering over the stalls indicate that the stalls and people are tiny: it’s a piskie market. The text visible at the top reads: “The goods for sale were tiny. The stalls were tiny. The people buying and selling were tiny. Jago was looking at a piskie market. A market for the tiny magical folk who live hidden in the quiet corners of Cornwall.”

Shiny book on wooden table, black horse leaping across top of cover, seal wearing golden crown at bottom, wave of seawater curving between them. Title in green foil, centred between the horse and the seal: Celtic Folk and Fairy Tales, Magical Stories from Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Cornwall, the Isle of Man and Brittany. Two names in yellow at the bottom of the cover: Lari Don and Elise Carmichael

It’s #WorldBookDay and it’s St Piran’s Day, the patron saint of #Cornwall. So it’s the perfect day to share a page of #Cornish #piskies! Beautifully illustrated by @elisecillustration.com, for a Piskie Market tale in our Celtic Folk and Fairytales.
#StPiransDay #CelticTales #kidilit #kidlitart

Happy St David's Day! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿
It seemed only fitting to share a Welsh story about dragons from Celtic Folk and Fairy Tales!
Stories retold by Lari Don, with beautiful illustrations by @elisecillustration.com
Find out more: discoverkelpies.co.u...

An open book on a wooden table, with an illustration showing two huge roaring dragons, one red and one silvery-white. The dragons are perched on rocks, with two open chests in the foreground, a couple of builders’ tools on the ground, and two ladder - one being climbed hastily by a small figure - in the background. The dragons are vibrant and scaly, with sharp claws, snaky tongues, and bony wings.

Shiny book on wooden table, black horse leaping across top of cover, seal wearing golden crown at bottom, wave of seawater curving between them. Title in green foil, centred between the horse and the seal: Celtic Folk and Fairy Tales, Magical Stories from Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Cornwall, the Isle of Man and Brittany. Two names in yellow at the bottom of the cover: Lari Don and Elise Carmichael

Happy St David’s Day! To celebrate, here are a couple of roaring #Welsh dragons, in a fantastic illustration by @elisecillustration.com, in our Celtic Folk and Fairy Tales collection.
#dragons #CelticTales #StDavidsDay #Welshlegends #Wales #FolkloreSunday
@florisbooks.bsky.social

Junior Book of the Month: Celtic Folk and Fairy Tales by Lari Don We are a national charity bringing the benefits of reading and writing to everyone in Scotland.

Last chance to win! #Celtic Folk and Fairy Tales is Scottish Book Trust's Book of the Month, and you only have until 11.59pm tomorrow to enter the competition to win a shiny copy full of magic & monsters!
www.scottishbooktrust.com/competitions...
@elisecillustration.com @discoverkelpies.bsky.social

a brown tree trunk in top left of picture, and a bunch of snowdrops in bottom right

lots of snowdrops on a bank of earth and leaves, with branches crisscrossing in front of them

I’ve not had the energy to get out for a wee walk since mid January, so I was worried I would miss the banks of snowdrops on #Edinburgh’s #cyclepath. But when I made it out yesterday, there they were, patiently nodding away, waiting for me! #longcovid #smallpleasures

A blue cardboard folder with “story – CURRENT” written on it in purple ink. The edge of a yellow folder, the edges of a few sheets of white paper and the edge of a green folder are covering the corner of the blue folder, hiding the word before ‘story’. There is a white A4 sheet of paper in the blue folder, with a few words visible, and a turquoise post-it.

Small writerly pleasures: putting a page of research notes about whirlpools in the writing folder marked ‘current’ … #amwriting #amresearching

Junior Book of the Month: Celtic Folk and Fairy Tales by Lari Don We are a national charity bringing the benefits of reading and writing to everyone in Scotland.

“Kelpies, selkies, changelings, imps & giants stride through these richly crafted worlds...anything is possible & unlikely heroes emerge” in CELTIC FOLK AND FAIRY TALES by @laridonwriter.bsky.social published by @florisbooks.bsky.social www.scottishbooktrust.com/competitions...

Junior Book of the Month: Celtic Folk and Fairy Tales by Lari Don We are a national charity bringing the benefits of reading and writing to everyone in Scotland.

I’m delighted that Celtic Folk and Fairy Tales is @scottishbooktrust.bsky.social's Junior Book of the Month for February! (And look, they’re offering a chance to win a copy!)
www.scottishbooktrust.com/competitions...
#celtictales #bookofthemonth #storytelling #kidlit
@elisecillustration.com

That sounds fantastic! Outdoor storytelling always feels particuarly magical, and round a fire is even better!

YouTube video by FlorisBooks Lari Don tells the story of How to Escape a Waterhorse, from Celtic Folk and Fairy Tales

Wishing all story-lovers an inspiring and exciting #NationalStorytellingWeek! Here’s a video of me telling a Manx waterhorse tale, with a bit of extra magic added by @discoverkelpies.bsky.social using Elise Carmichael’s fab illustrations:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=wv6N...
#CelticTales #storytelling

small fungi on a branch, vivid orange, rounded, shiny

dark branch, lying on ground, covered in small frilly fungi, brown with white edges

close up of wet wood, with pale shiny almost shell-like fungi emerging from a crack in the wood

image of a dark branch diagonally across picture, the bottom half of branch is covered in bright green moss, and the top is covered in frilly fungi - dark brown fading to pale at edges

One of the few advantages of moving very slowly: spotting very small things…
#fungi #fungitobewith #longcovid #Edinburgh

Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house,
not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.
We're all warm and cosy, our pyjamas are on,
As we gather for storytime with our Lari Don!
youtu.be/wv6NhdtnPVk
@LariDonWriter

Look at all these lovely books! (Mince pies and mulled wine too!) I'll be here, ready to sign books and chat to readers, from 11-11.30 tomorrow (Saturday) morning. Hope to see you there!)

This is where I'll be, this Saturday, at 11 til 1.1.30 am, surrounded by books and signing pens (and mince pies, apparently) #Edinburgh #signedbooks

YouTube video by FlorisBooks Lari Don tells the story of How to Escape a Waterhorse, from Celtic Folk and Fairy Tales

Storytime with author @laridonwriter.bsky.social featuring a tale from one of her wonderful @florisbooks.bsky.social collections youtu.be/wv6NhdtnPVk?...

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!

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

The top half of a tall silver birch, with leaves turning to yellow, against a bright blue sky. A couple of smaller greener trees to either side. At the bottom of the picture, the roof of a wooden shed. Slicing across the picture, at a gentle diagonal, a couple of telephone wires.

My favourite silver birch, turning to gold. (It’s the tallest tree I can see from my kitchen window, so keeps me connected to the seasons even when I can’t leave the house…) #autumn #Scotland

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!

a hardback book laid flat on a wooden table. The title of the book, in shiny green foil in the centre of the cover, is Celtic Folk and Fairy Tales, and two names at the bottom left are: Lari Don and Elise Carmichael. The cover art is a black horse with wild mane and sharp teeth leaping across the top, a seal wearing a pointy gold crown swimming at the bottom, and a wave of blue and white curving up the left side of the cover, linking them. There is a subtitle in smaller font reading: Magical Stories from Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Cornwall, the Isle of Man and Brittany

I’m excited about sharing this book (published today!) with you. It contains so many of my favourite things: untrustworthy fairies, battling dragons, shapeshifting magic & strong clever girls who defeat their own monsters. And amazing art by @elisecillustration.com #Celtictales #storytelling #kidlit

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

A display of hardback books, four laid flat on a wooden table like tiles, and a pile of five placed on top, in a slightly teetering step fashion. The title of the book, in shiny green foil in the centre of the cover, is Celtic Folk and Fairy Tales, and two names at the bottom left are: Lari Don and Elise Carmichael. The cover art is a black horse with wild mane and sharp teeth leaping across the top, a seal wearing a pointy gold crown swimming at the bottom, and a wave of blue and white curving up the left side of the cover, linking them. There is a subtitle in smaller font reading: Magical Stories from Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Cornwall, the Isle of Man and Brittany.

Publication day! Time to send these beautiful beasties out into the world! Celtic Folk And Fairy Tales is now available wherever you like to get your selkie, dragon, shapeshifter, monster & changeling tales. The amazing artwork is by @elisecillustration.com #kidlit #celtictales #folklore #folktales

close up of a nettle plant from above, with neat pairs of mid green leaves. A new pair of leaves is growing in the centre - tiny, and brighter green

three docken leaves, the front one is smaller and still growing, becuase its sides are folded behind it, and it's shaped like a spearhead

green ivy leaves, with three newer paler smaller ivy leaves growing in middle. Yellow-brown tree leaf lying on top of ivy in bottom of picure

I have a fond admiration for plants which are still growing new green, while all the plants around them are turning gold #Edinburgh #cyclepath #determination

If you listen REALLY carefully, there are at least four different ways to escape a waterhorse in this tale. But if the waterhorse standing between you and the nearest way, that's when it gets really scary! #waterhorses #stronggirls #folktales

👉 Please watch Lives Interrupted to hear directly from young people living with Long Covid. Their voices, with their message, deserve to be heard.
(also on our YouTube)
vm.tiktok.com/ZNdnq5UmG/
#TikTok #CharityFilm #LivesInterrupted

YouTube video by FlorisBooks Lari Don tells the story of How to Escape a Waterhorse, from Celtic Folk and Fairy Tales

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...

to be fair, it's mostly your artwork!