A Fife charity has helped bring a child's book to life for those with sight loss.
Eve Nairn-Magnante wrote Santa Steals Christmas when she was six-years-old and is believed to be one of the youngest published authors.
Now aged 14 she's been working with Seescape to make sure her book can be read by everyone, including those with hearing loss.
It tells the story of Santa and his band of helpers seeking to unmask an imposter who has stolen the world’s Christmas presents.
From Edinburgh, Eve worked with Seescape, formerly Fife Society for the Blind, to make sure it could be read by children and families with visual impairments, with braille and audio descrptions available.
Eve, whose autistic, started writing the story with her dad Mark, who typed it up into a book as a Christmas present and the pair later talked about publishing it and donating it to schools in accessible formats.
Dyslexia Scotland, Deaf Action and Scottish Autism helped make the book accessible to those with neurodiversity and hearing loss. They've helped turn it into dyslexia-friendly and British Sign Language (BSL) versions.
Free copies are also being sent to schools and libraries, charities and hospitals, and a portion of the book’s sale will be donated to each of the charities which helped develop it.
But as the project grew and Eve's writing developed she's decided to use her story to tackle exclusion in publishing.
Lesley Carcary, chief executive of Seescape, said: “Seescape was delighted to work with Eve to make sure that children with visual impairments and their families could enjoy this wonderful book that captures the magic of Christmas for all children. Santa Steals Christmas is a book that families and friends can enjoy together and brings joy to everyone – and our staff and clients are looking forward to reading it with their families.”
Eve, who is now in high school, said: “While I don’t really remember writing the book, I think anyone should be able to access things that other people can access, and I find it unfair that books are written in the UK in a way that other people can’t read.
“Books are important for imagination and creativity, and no one should miss out on that.
“I particularly enjoyed working with Nicholas Child on the illustrations and helping him make the world I imagined come to life on the page.
Eve added that she has her sights set on becoming an actor – but intends to keep writing on the side.
She added: “I feel like writing is one of the only things I am good at. I have had hobbies, but I haven’t stuck with them. For me, writing is more of a hobby. I think I might write books, but I really want to be an actor.”
Eve’s father, Mark, said: “We are publishing a story we feel is truly for everyone.
“Eve imagined a world in which all children would feel seen and included and our aim was to ensure the story was available in multiple formats for everyone to access and enjoy – a truly inclusive experience.
“Our greatest wish is that the accessibility-first approach we adopted will serve as a benchmark to set a new standard for how all children's books should be published for years to come.
“I’m really grateful to Eve’s primary seven teacher at school who helped nurture Eve’s writing talent and let me know about the stories she was writing at school. It inspired us to try to bring Santa Steals Christmas to children everywhere.”
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