Author Shane Casey grew up on his family’s farm in Fanore, Co.Clare and it is here that the story is set, between Blackhead mountain and the Caher valley.
Shane is the author of four other children’s books about Irish wildlife, but says his inspiration was a bit different for this one - see www.shanecaseybooks.ie‘
‘Being out on the Burren in the early hours of a spring morning, when there’s a full moon, to look after a cow calving is something that very few outside the farming community have experienced. Or the satisfaction that comes when opening the gate to let cattle into fresh grass. Or finding the first gentian of the year or hearing the first call of the cuckoo, and knowing the winter is behind you, and hoping for a good summer ahead.’
There is something else that makes the book stand out. The design and layout of the book makes it dyslexia-friendly. A combination of special dyslexia font, colour schemes, and layout to make it easier for children with dyslexia to read.
What makes the books dyslexia friendly:
We use five simple techniques in our books to make them more accessible for dyslexic readers. While they may not work in every case, we have received a very positive response from parents, teachers, and children with dyslexia.
We use a special font called OpenDyslexic font. This is currently free to download at http://dyslexicfonts.com
We avoid black text on a white background. Instead we use dark blue text on a cream background.
We use only single spacing after all punctuation marks.
We avoid beginning the first word of a new sentence on the previous line.
We avoid justifying the paragraph format.