In this winter-warming Spid the Spider adventure, Spid and friends visit the Highlands. What sets this adventure apart is its unique blend of entertainment and education for children aged 4-10 years. While delivering laughs and thrills, it also reimagines aspects of late 13th and early 14th-century Scottish history, in particular, a spidery tale involving Robert the Bruce.
In the story, Spid reads about King Robert the Spid of Glenthistle in a history book, and then decides to visit his cousin, Hamish McSpid, who lives there. However, Spid and his friends have hardly arrived when strange things begin to happen. Of course, the fearsome monster of Loch Monroe is nothing more than a legendary beast … Or is it …?
The story is also unusual for its interactivity as it features two songs: ‘Hamish McSpid’ and ‘The Water King’. By scanning QR codes, readers can see and hear animated music videos of the songs:
-‘The Ballad of Hamish McSpid’ is a folk song in the Scottish music tradition. It has a stirring violin accompaniment.
-‘The Water King’ is a tub-thumping tune that celebrates and warns about the ‘guardian’ of the loch. “I am the Water King, I listen to the rain and sing, I am the king of everything, cross me and feel my sting”.
The story is also great fun for mums, dads, and teachers to read and ‘act’ out to their children. Thus, helping them engage with the story, the benefits of reading, and helping them learn to read, grow, and succeed in life.
