SuitabookCoorie Doon: A Scottish Lullaby Story
Jackie Kay
- Reading
- Read it aloud slowly, pausing over the repeated lullaby phrases and Scots words. Let the child describe the illustrations and dreams first; discuss the older-father scene only if they raise it.
- Themes
- Family care across generations: Shona is cared for at bedtime by her parents as a child; much later, she tucks her old father into bed and sings to him. The repeated bedtime ritual presents family care and continuity as tender and meaningful.
- Songs, language and memory: The story uses familiar Scottish lullabies and lyrical old Scots, linking Shona’s childhood bedtime with her later singing to her father. Scottish song and dialect are presented as living forms of connection, remembrance and family identity.
- Dreams and imagination: While Shona sleeps, the story follows dream scenes involving her friend Ali, her dog Marley, her cat Flo, unicorns and sheep. Dreaming is treated as a playful, imaginative space connected with familiar people, animals and places.
- Worth knowing
- The later scenes involve an old father being tucked into bed by his adult daughter. This gentle reversal may prompt feelings about ageing, dependence and family care, though the ending’s emotional weight is unclear.