A CHILDREN’S author from Uplawmoor has released her newest book in a bid to educate children on rewilding.

Lindsay Littleson came up with the idea for The Rewilders after reading an article about a Canadian man who thought he’d found an abandoned kitten, which turned out to be a young lynx, on a trail in Quebec.

The book features a young girl called Esme, who is braced for boredom when she goes to stay with her gran.

However, events take an unusual turn when she discovers Cora – the abandoned kitten her gran found – is actually a wild lynx kitten and is growing fast.

On a mission to rewild her, the team pitch their tents on a bleak Highland moor, with wolves howling outside.

Barrhead News:

Lindsay told the Barrhead News: “Not everyone agrees that reintroducing lynx and wolves is feasible.

“I tried to show in this book that all different points of view are valid, and that compromise and consensus will be necessary if large predators are ever going to be successfully reintroduced in Scotland.”

Lynx cats were once native to Britain but were driven to extinction 500 to 1,000 years ago due to hunting and habitat loss.

Three charities in Scotland - The Big Picture, Trees for Life and Vincent Wildlife - have recently come together to investigate the potential of releasing Lynx back into the wild in Scotland.

Lynx have already been reintroduced to other parts of Europe, including Germany’s Harz National Park in 2000.

Retired teacher Lindsay added: “I love speaking to children about reading, I was a primary teacher for years.

“Covid was a silver lining because I was able to visit schools down south virtually, which I wouldn’t normally have been able to do.

“It has been a dream of mine to be a writer since I was a child, and during lockdown I had plenty of time to practice.”

Her first published children’s book The Mixed Up Summer of Lily McLean won the 2014 Kelpies Prize.

Lindsay will be in Waterstone’s in Silverburn tomorrow from 6pm to 7pm signing copies of the book for those who would like to grab a copy of The Rewilders.

To learn more about Lindsay’s books and to find out information about her upcoming author events, visit lindsaylittleson.co.uk.