Sgian-dubh

Living Paintings audio tactile books rely on descriptive audio guides to bring stories to life for children who are blind or visually impaired.

For our latest book release, Jonty Gentoo, we’re delighted to have the support of Sam Heughan, star of the hit TV series, Outlander! Sam kindly joined us in the studio and read the audio description for Jonty Gentoo and the penguin’s adventures to find the South Pole.

Side Note: The Living Paintings studio and headquarters are located in Newbury, Berkshire.

Sam lending his voice not only delivers an immersive experience for children, but also helps us raise the profile of our books and encourages people to join our library, so that more children who are blind or visually impaired can benefit from our special books.

We’re always so grateful to all of our volunteers, because without them we couldn’t do what we do.

Sam, like Jonty, is a cold water swimmer and so loved reading about Jonty’s ocean adventures. We think you’re going to love listening to Sam as he describes those ocean swims!

Thank you so much, Sam, for your generous support.

How do our audio guides work?

Our exclusive audio guides describe the illustrations and tactile pages in each book, the scenes in the book, the characters, the key items, the tiny details that bring the story to life. We also add music and sound effects to make an immersive experience for children.

Listen to Sam read a short excerpt from Jonty Gentoo below!

Jonty Gentoo - The Adventures of a Penguin

Description from Amazon:

Join a plucky little penguin on the journey of a lifetime, in this fabulous new adventure by picture book superstars Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler.

Jonty the gentoo penguin longs to find his true home at the South Pole. One night, he sneaks out of the zoo and sets off on an amazing adventure, all the way to Antarctica (with an accidental detour to the North Pole!)

Readers will be cheering as Jonty finally finds his way, in this captivating story of bravery, friendship, and finding your place in the world.

So I think I actually have a lot to say on this but I will just leave it for now. I think I’ve left enough information for people to form their own opinions.

As a companion piece to 'You had on the dress...'

Entertainment Tonight via YouTube: Caitríona Balfe Shares Outlander SECRETS with Pluribus' Karolina Wydra | Creator to Creator

KW: I remember when you were going to the test and we had those like three dresses and…

CB: I had three vintage dresses. 

KW: Three vintage dresses.

CB: I said, ‘Which one do I wear?’ ‘Which one will I wear in this?’

Quite late in the UK, isn't it?

And naturally... the private account gets tagged.

I understand they seem to have a very strong need this week to prove there’s something real between them, which ironically only proves the opposite, but here’s some free advice for whoever is managing this circus: when you want to share something funny with someone close to you, you simply send it to them privately. That’s the normal thing normal people do.

But it’s fine, keep acting as if none of us have ever been in a relationship and have no idea how people behave in one.

I do find it interesting that she has now decided to fully drop the mask and stop pretending this is a “business account,” because unless penguins are the newest addition to the therapeutic farm in Cork, there is absolutely no professional reason for that story.

I also find the shrinking time gap between these innuendos very interesting. After all, it was only a few days ago that she tried to convince us there are dogs that grow into completely different dogs, accompanied by the soundtrack of a man who could be anyone, but who we’re clearly meant to think is Sam. And we’re meant to think he made the effort to visit her during his free time.

Is this shrinking gap in any way connected to his tan and the sighting of his co-star at an airport in a coastal town in Spain around the same time everyone assumed he was on vacation? Asking for a friend.

And thank you again to Steph for answering everyone on Tumblr who wondered whether you’d be at the event on Sunday by following the event’s account that, for reasons still unclear, was even created in the first place. The communication here is getting so direct that eventually we might all become friends.

A calm, enlightened soul,

Untouched by what the masses say,

In absolute control.

"I do not care," she tells "the press",

"What strangers on the screen express."

Yet hidden in the glowing dark,

She scrolls the Tumblr feeds,

Consuming every word they type,

To feed her deepest needs.

She searches for the actor name,

And measures out her share of fame.

When bloggers talk about her "peaceful" act,

And point out every fail,

She reads the bitter, biting truth,

That shatters her facade.

Exposed as every shade of fake,

Her zen begins to crack and break.

With trembling hands she flees the site,

To seek a safer space,

And posts upon her "pro" account

To save her wounded face.

A cryptic quote, a staged affair,

Designed to prove how much she doesn't care.

She craves the crowd's adoring roar,

Desiring to be blessed,

But on the blue-themed blogging site,

She simply fails the test.

For Tumblr sees right through the spin—

Where no one loves the drama queen.

That is the question.

June 5, 2026

To play devil’s advocate, the lighting in M&S could make anyone look a little washed out.

June 13, 2026

For those who have been following along, the past few days have been rather interesting.

We had Sam appearing at a book event.

We had a new photo of Caitríona with a fan.

And, naturally, quite a few comments followed.

Particularly from those who couldn't help but notice a certain detail.

Now, of course, we are not supposed to ask questions.

We are not supposed to wonder where people have been.

We are certainly not supposed to connect dots.

And yet… almost on cue, a penguin appears on a certain Instagram story.

Funny timing.

Do you remember when MW created her professional Instagram account?

The lengthy captions. The carefully constructed image. The constant effort to present herself as a serious professional whose work supposedly extended far beyond a certain well-known narrative.

A complete rebrand, or so we were told.

And yet, somehow, whenever that account appears on the radar, it always seems to circle back to the same place.

This time?

Penguins.

A rather curious choice.

Because, as longtime observers know, Sam and Caitríona have a very long and very specific history involving penguins.

Which makes one wonder why a supposedly professional account would suddenly choose that particular image.

Or perhaps there is nothing curious about it at all.

Perhaps the reference was chosen precisely because everyone knows what it represents.

After all, when a narrative starts losing momentum, familiar symbols have a way of reappearing exactly when they're needed.

And if we're being asked to believe that this was completely random…

And yes, of course the favorite character is the polar bear - 'apart from the penguin', of course. That did bring a grin and it was needed.

Bravo. The right thing to do. #charity

Also, this - an impromptu walk down memory lane - EIFF Gala, 2015. When things were brighter, easier and McGill was just on his maiden circus tour appearance. Very telling:

@ lovely_acting