Fantastic Forres author Ewen Watson and illustrator Sathya Schlösser are promoting the book in local schools

THE duo behind a children’s book about Forres have been visiting local schools to hear what the pupils think of it.

‘Fantastic Forres’ author Ewen Watson and illustrator Sathya Schlösser have so far toured Applegrove, Dallas, Logie and Alves, and are currently making weekly visits to every class at Kinloss Primary.

The book explores many of the area’s historical sites and figures in a universally accessible way.

Ewan confirmed the school visits were partly funded by the Forres Common Good Fund, which also provided copies to every school in the Forres Associated Schools Group, as well as Forres Library.

He said: “We have been presenting the pages on a smartboard so everyone can follow. We explain how the book was made, I talk about my research and writing while Sathya demonstrates how she illustrated it.”

The pair show the classes time-lapse videos of the book’s formation.

Sathya added: “I drew the book on my i-pad and recorded the development stages of the illustrations, from sketch to line art to colouration.”

Pupils are encouraged to spot items that the main characters Morag and Hamish have lost on their journey though Forres. There is also a factual quiz at the end.

Ewen said: “The staff in every school have been very supportive. We’re very grateful that they invited us into their classrooms to talk about our book. I’ve been very impressed by the knowledge pupils already have about Forres and its history.”

Sathya: added: “Everyone is always very enthusiastic about the book. They have lots of interesting and fun questions for us.”

Dallas Primary School head teacher, Mrs Mairi Grant, was delighted to host Ewen and Sathya’s showcase.

“It’s an engaging book for children to learn about the history of their town,” said Mrs Grant. “Our pupils loved learning about local landmarks and studying the detailed illustrations.”

Evan Fielding (9) loved finding the hidden objects in the book.

She added: “The illustrations were great.”

Timmy Edwards (10) learned lots about local landmarks.

He said: “I loved the page about the Highland Games. It was so detailed.”

Emily-Rose Logan (11) added: “It’s really cool to have a book about the town I live in.”

Ewan and Sathya originally hoped to sell 500 copies but hit the target in the first two months. Having now sold 700, they have had an extra 1000 copies printed.

“We still have a few schools to visit,” said Ewan. “We hope to continue in the new year. We also hope to carry on selling at local events such as Forres Highland Games, Theme Day, Scottish Week and Forres Fest over 2024.”

Ewan is doing a book talk at House Community Centre on Saturday, December 9 to tie in with the 50th anniversary celebrations of the building. Spaces can be booked on 01309 672834 or emailing forres.library@moray.gov.uk.

Sathya added: “We’ve been asked if we will make books about other places so we are thinking about doing one about another town close to Forres.”

Fantastic Forres costs £10 and is available at Forres Post Office, Chimes, The Pantry, Forres Coffee House, The Bike Bothy, the Mosset Tavern, S-Barbers, Keepsakes and The Phoenix Shop (Findhorn).

It’s also available at www.fantasticforres.com and www.visitforres.scot