Sam Heughan lends his voice to help children who are blind.

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.

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.

How do our accessible books work?

Living Paintings books use touch and sound to help children who are blind or visually impaired access the visual world.

Our books include raised tactile images, clear braille pages, and an exclusive audio guide that describes all the illustrations and tactile pages in great detail so that young readers don’t have to miss out on all the magic that lies within a picture book.

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!

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 to order

Jonty Gentoo is available now to borrow for FREE from our postal library. Borrow your copy today and dive into this small penguin’s BIG adventure!

• Order your copy today!

How to support Living Paintings

We rely on the generous support of donors to ensure we can bring the visual world of picture books and learning to our beneficiaries for free.

Please support us on our mission and donate now!