Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Tayside barista launches self-illustrated debut children’s book

Johnathan Liddell with his book.
Johnathan Liddell with his book.

A Tayside barista’s self-illustrated debut children’s book has hit the shelves.

Johnathan Liddell, from Piperdam, said he is over the moon to see his first book The Ellie Adventures, hit shelves across the UK.

The book, which Johnathan wrote while furloughed from his job as a bartender, was supported through a Kickstarter campaign which raised more than £3,000 and the former Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design (DCJAD) student is delighted to see his hard work pay off.

The Ellie Adventures: You Have All You Need by Johnathan Liddell.

The story follows Ellie, who lives on the fictional Scottish island of Descendora with her uncle, a bear and a barn owl, and details her battle with self doubt.

The final section of the book, named “Over to You,” is designed for children to open up about their own troubles, inspiring them through leading questions and giving space to answer them, reflecting on their own resources and build resilience.

Johnathan, who wrote and illustrated the book, said the characters are an amalgamation of his family members, who have supported him throughout the process.

He said: “It has been quite the rollercoaster. I first thought about doing this 13 years ago.

“I went to art school but I never really went down that road. I refound my love for illustrating and wanted to write a kids’ book.

“I’d had set a target of doing it before I turned 30.

“I’ve been a bartender for the last five years, and am working in maintenance, as well as as a barista and at Middlebank Golf Range in Errol just now. I was furloughed in September and started then.

“I had the name and idea but I hadn’t sat down to do it.

“As an illustrator, I found the writing to be more enjoyable as a challenge.”

Johnathan says the book is something that parents and youngsters can enjoy together and subtly deals with difficult issues like loss of loved ones.

“Ellie is a combination of my three sisters,” Johnathan said.

“We started a Kickstarter to help get it published in October. It raised more than £3,000. I was totally humbled by that, especially in the middle of a pandemic.

“Seeing it in print was like a relief, and felt like I’d really achieved something. I’ve had messages from parents in 19 different countries and some asking for book two, which has been lovely.

“I’ve already sketched up a cover for book two and got a working story.

“Anybody can do it if they have determination, set a deadline and have the right people around them.”

The Ellie Adventures Book 1: You Have All You Need, is available online and in Waterstones now.