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Best foot forward: Elves and the Shoemaker available now from Living Paintings library
2nd October 2025
Talk about getting off on the right foot… We are delighted to announce the latest addition to our Touch to See library: The Elves and the Shoemaker. Our tactile-audio adaptation brings this timeless story to life for blind and visually impaired children!
What’s it about?
The Elves and the Shoemaker is a heart-warming tale of a hard-working but impoverished shoemaker who finds that mysterious pairs of shoes appear each morning. When he stays up late to investigate, he finds the culprits: a group of brightly coloured elves! To thank them for their hard work, he and his wife leave them some special gifts. When the elves find them, they dance and sing with glee.
A lot of us grew up with this story and its colourful illustrations. Now, blind and visually impaired children can experience them, too!
What’s included in our tactile-audio adaptation?
Our Touch to See picture books have several unique elements, the most exciting of which are our tactile images.
These begin as line drawings, which get carved into wood by one of our master carvers. Finished carvings are then placed into our thermoform machine and a plastic sheet is pressed over the top, which creates the raised image. The raised images are then hand-painted by our incredible volunteers to really bring the characters and scenes to life.
To ensure blind children can engage with the text of the story, we incorporate braille on clear plastic sheets. By doing this, both sighted and non-sighted children can enjoy the original story together.
We also work closely alongside visually impaired editors, who provide vital feedback to ensure our Touch to See books are the best they can be.
All our titles come with a handy audio description guide, and we were thrilled to work with legendary actor (and known shoe enthusiast) Richard E. Grant.
Grant’s unmistakable voice beautifully describes all the illustrations throughout the book and each part of the raised illustrations, guiding little fingers on a journey to see in the way that works for them: through touch and sound.
Members can listen to the audio on CD, USB, or stream via our website.
How can you order?
The Elves and the Shoemaker is coming soon, so keep an eye out on our website, where it’ll be available to borrow for free by our beneficiaries who are blind or visually impaired.