A time travelling cat will take little bookworms on a historical tour of Blantyre in what is believed to be the town's first ever children's book.
Photographer Zoe Dargue, who was born and bred in Blantyre, is currently putting the finishing touches to her debut book Brae Discovers Blantyre - and if it's a success she hopes to turn the book into a series taking Brae across Lanarkshire and beyond.
Set to be published on Amazon next month, the tale follows a stray cat named Brae on a magical journey of discovery throughout Blantyre's past and present.
Beginning in the public park in present day, Brae walks along Glasgow Road learning about the history of the buildings and streets named after prominent local people, such as Valerio Court named after the owners of Mickey's Cafe ice cream parlour, and Hardie Street after former local Labour Leader Keir Hardie.
Brae then travels back in time to meet historical figure David Livingstone, find out all about local jobs hundreds of years ago, including the importance of coal mining to the area, and a takes trip down the River Calder to learn about the local wildlife and community litterpicking.
Zoe, 26, told Lanarkshire Live: "I grew up learning a lot about my area but the books that were around were grown up books, there wasn't a lot for kids to interact with, so I thought I would give it a go. And, a couple of months later, I have a children's book ready to go.
"It's basically about a wee cat called Brae, who doesn't have a gender, and the cat is travelling through time throughout Blantyre and learning about what makes the community tick.
"I started this little project on a whim but once I contacted local community groups to help out they thought it was a really great idea.
"It's a very family-orientated book for people to read together."
Inspired by online community groups such as the Blantyre Telegraph, Zoe began compiling historical information about the town and reached out to local community groups who formed during the Covid pandemic to help keep community spirit alive.
And, keen to get children involved in the project, the loveable character Brae was born to help teach local kids all about their area.
A photographer by trade, with her own images of Blantyre displayed in the local Family Shopper greengrocers, Zoe created all the artwork and illustrations for the book herself and has even included an ode to her late mother, Liz, who Zoe says "would have loved" the book.
The former Calderside High pupil added: "I named Brae after the street I grew up on - Burnbrae Road - where I've lived my whole life.
"It was actually my grandad, Robert Dargue, who gave me all the information about Blantyre that I knew. And after he passed away I started reading books to get more info which made me feel closer to him.
"Because I do photography I travel a lot and I wanted to do more with that so I thought I'd make a wee book about Blantyre - but I wanted to be a children's author like JK Rowling and teach the kids.
"I've also hidden little Easter eggs throughout, including a little memento of my late mum. Her favourite flowers were tulips so on one of the pages I've got a little tulip in a jar and a tag with her name on it. It's something I had to do because she would have loved this."
Production of the book is now finished with plans to publish through Amazon in May. Zoe hopes to sell some physical copies at local markets but the main outlet will be on Amazon and through Zoe's Brae Discovers website and social media pages.
Zoe also plans to donate some copies of the book to local schools in Blantyre and Blantyre Library.
With the future looking bright for Brae Discovers, Zoe has high hopes of forging a career in children's literature taking the feline further afield to countries she's been lucky enough to travel to, such as Holland and China.
"I'm not sure if I'll be the next JK Rowling but this might be the first step into Brae's career of travelling places", added Zoe.
"I do travel a lot so if people really do like Brae I might do Brae Discovers Holland, Brae Discovers Scotland or even Brae Discovers Hamilton. I leave the book open for that possibility.
"At the end of the book Brae explains that Blantyre may not be a holiday destination but it's full of stories.
"I'm really excited for the release. I just hope people are happy with it and they think it's a good representation of Blantyre."
*Don't miss the latest headlines from around Lanarkshire. Sign up to our newsletters here.
And did you know Lanarkshire Live had its own app? Download yours for free here.
