GRAPHIC DESIGNER | ILLUSTRATOR
Up in the highlands of Scotland, where the hills are the size of mountains and the lochs are never ending…
Hogie the Highland Cow™ is an exciting new children’s book series created by author and illustrator Emma Eaton-Knight. ‘Hogie the Highland Cow™’ celebrates all things Scottish, highland cattle, food and raising allergy awareness.
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Follow the adventures of Hogie and friends through our social media channels here!
MEET THE HERD
Say hi to Hogie! Hogie is a cheeky, happy, highland cow who loves nothing more than hanging out with his friends Hettie, Hew and Alana. Hogie is the hungriest of the three highlands and loves food! Forever looking for his next meal or a tasty treat.
Say hi to Alana! Alana is 7 years old and looks after Hogie, Hettie and Hew. Alana suffers with a peanut allergy and sometimes struggles with food and eating out. But with the help of her three highland cows, she navigates her way around her allergy and still manages to have fun and go on lots of adventures.
Say hi to Hew! Hew is the funny and mischievous highland of the group, who loves getting messy and having fun with his friends. Hew always gets into some sort of trouble and often gets Hogie into trouble too with his antics! Despite his cheeky mischievous side, Hew has a heart of gold and will do anything to help out his friends.
Say hi to Hew! Hew is the funny and mischievous highland of the group, who loves getting messy and having fun with his friends. Hew always gets into some sort of trouble and often gets Hogie into trouble too with his antics! Despite his cheeky mischievous side, Hew has a heart of gold and will do anything to help out his friends.
HOGIE'S HUMANS
Hogie, Hettie and Hew live on the farm with Mummy, Daddy, Alana and her little brother Archie. Daddy spends his days tending to the farm and looking after the sheep. After a long day, he likes to relax with a small glass of his best ‘medicine’ from his secret whiskey collection.
Mummy helps out with looking after the other animals on the farm whilst Daddy is busy in the fields tending to the sheep. Mummy is an excellent baker and is often baking something delicious whilst listening to heavy rock music on the radio. Mummy works part-time in the village tea-rooms where many of the locals love to eat her brilliant bakes.
Archie is a cheeky little 3-year-old who is into just about everything! He’s currently fascinated by tractors and trains. Just like Daddy, he wants to drive the biggest tractor when he gets big, but for now, he practices driving his little tractor around the farm.
CREATING HOGIE
Creating Hogie has come a long way since he first came into my life at the age of 18. Like most creatives, ideas come and go, but this one of a bouncing, happy highland cow came with a force and has been a huge part of my life ever since.
For many years Hogie was created using pencil before moving onto watercolour and inks, and I still prefer to use this medium today rather than digitally painting pieces.
There are several more characters that are in the pipeline that form part of the Hogie family; Ralph the silly grey bunny being one of them!
My love for highland cattle started on my first trip to Scotland in 2003 where I met this lovely smiley chap Hamish. I fell in love with Scotland’s rugged and wild landscape, the highland ponies, its rich history and of course its infamous giant horned ginger coos!
THE VISION
In September 2016 at the age of 26, I went into anaphylactic shock after eating an almond. Up until that point, I had no idea that I had a life-threatening allergy to tree nuts. Life as I knew it, was about to be turned upside down as I began to navigate the world living with life-threatening allergies.
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It was during this time that I found comfort in sketching and painting Hogie. When my mental health and anxiety was at its lowest, I was unable to communicate my feelings regarding my allergy to others. I soon realised that if I couldn’t communicate regarding my allergy, how are children communicating about their allergies?
HOW ALLERGIES CAME INTO THE STORY
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What if I could tell the stories of those living with allergies through Hogie and his friends?
Even though children and adults suffer with allergies, allergies and mental health do not define who you are. The world of allergies is vast and ever-changing and there is so many campaigning for a better future for all allergy sufferers.
Maybe this is Hogie’s story?
“Allergies and mental health do not define you”
My dream is to land a publishing deal where I can publish a series of books that could reach the main market. My debut title, “Hogie and the Sneezy Coo” is in the works along with the second book in the series and hopefully with many more to come. I would love to partner with some of the leading allergy charities to help spread awareness of both Hogie and their charities.
