Hospital visits

The Scottish Friendly Children's Book Tour brings authors, illustrators and a variety of other creative practitioners to children in schools, libraries, public venues and hospitals across Scotland and the wider UK.

At Scottish Book Trust, we believe books and reading can provide magic, comfort and joy. For children and young people who are unwell, a stay in a hospital can often seem daunting and scary. Sharing the magic of books through author visits in hospitals can provide young people with escape and respite during difficult times in their lives. Books, reading and writing can also help children to understand illness and process emotions with family members.

Upcoming event

We've partnered with Edinburgh Children's Hospital Charity to bring the magic of storytelling to children and young people in hospital this summer.

Children and their families at the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People will have the chance to hear magical and fantastical stories from the book Fierce, Fearless and Free – a collection of myths and legends – from the author and master aural storyteller herself, Lari Don(this link will open in a new window)!

To make this event extra special and really bring these traditional tales to life, we will also be joined by the talented Eilidh Muldoon(this link will open in a new window), who beautifully illustrated the book. Eilidh will provide captivating live drawings during Lari's readings and there's even a chance for children to pick up their pencils and join in with some mindful doodling.

The stories will feature sorcery, dragons and hippos, offering the children a chance to escape into a world of make believe and imagination. At the end of this event Lari and Eilidh will answer questions from the children about anything and everything to do with writing, drawing and making up stories.

Past events

In May 2021 we partnered with Edinburgh Children's Hospital Charity to bring author Michelle Robinson and illustrator Jion Sheibani to the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People in Edinburgh. This live stream event was beamed to an audience of children and parents at the hospital's pop-up cinema as part of Mental Health Awareness Week. In December 2021 we shared a special video about the magic of storytelling for children in the hospital to watch on Christmas Eve.

Supporting children in hospital using books

As well as running author events, we have also created a book list with a range of great reads for all ages and stages to support children in hospital.

The Hospital Dog Julia Donaldson Sara Ogilvie

From Julia Donaldson comes a heart-warming story about Dot the Dalmation and her very important job visiting children at the Wallaby Ward. But when one of her patients is suddenly in trouble, it's up to Dot to save the day! With lovely rhymes and beautiful illustrations by Sarah Ogilvie, this is perfect for sharing with children age two upwards.

Where Happiness Begins Eva Eland

Are you looking for happiness? Sometimes it can feel really far away, and sometimes you might have so much you can't help but share it. You can try to chase it, control it or capture it, but even if it seems like it's gone for a while, you'll know it's never far away. This is Eva Eland's second picture book for helping little ones deal with big emotions like sadness.

Go to book list

Scottish Friendly Assurance

Scottish Friendly Assurance has been sponsoring the tour for over 20 years(this link will open in a new window). Through its support, The Scottish Friendly Children's Book Tour reaches an average of 6,000 children every year in a vast range of communities, from rural schools with as few as 8 pupils to 2,000 seat theatres.

Scottish Friendly Assurance is a progressive and modern financial services group, which has been around for over 150 years. It provides investors and families with a wide range of financial products.

You can find out more about Scottish Friendly on their website(this link will open in a new window).