An East Renfrewshire author launched her latest children’s book at a special event in Irvine.
Lindsay Littleson, who lives in Uplawmoor, showcased her new novel Ice Cream Boy at a book event hosted at Vanilla Joe’s, an ice cream parlour in Irvine, as part of the Tidelines Book Festival.
The event, which took place on Thursday, was funded by the Scottish Book Trust and Tidelines. Pupils from several local schools attended, including Castlepark, Eldersbank, Loudoun Montgomery and Woodlands. Signed copies of the book were provided for use in the parlour.
Children also took part in activities during the event, including a competition to suggest a new ice cream flavour. Entries will be reviewed by Vanilla Joe’s before a winner is chosen.
Ice Cream Boy follows twelve-year-old Luca Verani, who plans to take over his family’s ice cream café. His future is thrown into doubt when the business faces being sold, his grandmother begins to struggle with dementia, and his friend Sitara is targeted by racist bullying.
The book explores themes including family, change and growing up, with a focus on how children understand and cope with difficult situations. The story was inspired by Littleson’s personal experience of dementia.
Littleson is an award-winning author who previously worked as a primary school teacher before focusing on writing full-time. Her earlier books include The Mixed-Up Summer of Lily McLean, which won the Kelpies Prize, and Guardians of the Wild Unicorns, which was nominated for the Carnegie Medal.
The Irvine event brought together families and young readers as part of a wider programme aimed at encouraging children to engage with reading.