Katie Morag Delivers the Mail

Story

Katie Morag lives on the Isle of Struay with her family. She spends her time around the island, helping out with tasks and visiting Grannie Island. Other islanders include Neilly Beag and the Lady Artist, and the island is sometimes visited by the Big Boy Cousins and Granma Mainland.

Why we chose it

Katie Morag continues to be popular with children today, over 30 years since the first book was published. The detailed illustrations capture all the little things that make up island life.

Where it came from

Mairi Hedderwick first published Katie Morag Delivers the Mail in 1984, though she had come up with the story and some of the illustrations four years before. Katie’s home, the fictional Isle of Struay, is based on the Isle of Coll in Scotland. Hedderwick first arrived on the island when she was 17 and lived there on and off or a further 50 years, bringing up her children there. The stories are based on her children’s lives growing up on the island.

Where it went next

Hedderwick has written more than ten stories about the McColl family and they have been collected into two omnibuses: Katie Morag Island Stories (2003) and More Katie Morag Island Stories (2004). It has now been adapted in a TV series shown on CBeebies, starring Cherry Campbell as Katie Morag.

Associated stories

Although best known for Katie Morag, Hedderwick has also written Peedie Peebles stories for younger children about a toddler living on Orkney, A Walk with Grannie and The Utterly Otterlys about a family of otters looking for a new home.