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Children's Books Ireland children’s books ireland every child a reader Overall Editor & Production: Jenny Murray Contributors/Scríbhneoirí Reviews Editor: Juliette Saumande Shakira Browne Áine Ní Ghlinn Eagarthóir Gaeilge: Siobhán McNamara Órla Carr Natasha Mac a’Bháird Design:www.fintanwall.com Catherine Ann Cullen Freda Mills Printed in Ireland by www.mplprint.ie June Edwards Chandrika Narayanan-Mohan Children’s Booksleabhair Ireland Team/Foireann Leabhair Pháistí Éireann: Antoinette Fennell Ciara O’Siorain CEO: Elaina Ryanpháistí Aingeala Flannery Lindsay Quayle Deputy CEO: Jenny Murray Tony Flynn Síne Quinn Programme & Eventséireann Manager: Aoife Murray Children & Youngag People’s cothú Projects léitheoirí Manager: Daiden O’Regan Breda Frawley Mary Roche Marketing & Development Manager: Julie Jones Joanna Geoghegan Andrew Roycroft Laureate na nÓg Project Manager: Aingeala Flannery Kim Harte Rachel Sneyd Administrator & Office Manager: Ciara Houlihan Olivia Hope Paul Staunton Research & Evaluation Officer: Mairéad Mooney Mary Esther Judy Robin Stewart Awards Administrator: Julianne Siron Celia Keenan Jan Winter Children’s Books Ireland Board/Bord Leabhair Pháistí Éireann: Becky Long Jane Alger, Elena Browne, David Field, Patricia Forde, Eileen Jackson, Eddie Murtagh, Anne O’Gorman, John O’Donnell, Patrick Thorpe and Sarah Williams Children’s Books Ireland/Leabhair Pháistí Éireann receives financial assistance from The Arts Council/An Chomhairle Ealaíon, 70 Merrion Square, Dublin 2, Ireland Children’s Books Ireland/Leabhair Pháistí Éireann First Floor, 17 North Great Georges Street, Dublin 1, D01 R2F1 Telephone: 00 353 1 8727475 [email protected] www.childrensbooksireland.ie Inis is the magazine of Children’s Books Is é Inis irisleabhar Leabhair Pháistí Éireann, Ireland, the national children’s books an eagraíocht náisiúnta leabhar do pháistí. organisation. Within these pages you will Ar na leathanaigh seo feicfidh tú gné-ailt find features and articles on Irish and agus scéalta faoi leabhair Éireannacha agus international children’s books as well as idirnáisiúnta do pháistí, chomh maith le in-depth reviews of new titles for children léirmheasanna cuimsitheacha ar leabhair and teenagers. With its range of expert nua do pháistí agus do dhéagóirí. Mar gheall contributors, this is a key resource for ar shaineolas na scríbhneoirí san iris seo, teachers, writers, illustrators, librarians, is iontach an acmhainn í do mhúinteoirí, parents and everyone interested in scríbhneoirí, maisitheoirí, leabharlannaithe, children’s books. tuismitheoirí agus do gach duine ar spéis leo leabhair do pháistí. Continue the conversation with us at www.childrensbooksireland.ie where you Bí ag comhrá linn ag will find more reviews, articles and up-to- www.childrensbooksireland.ie the minute news. áit a bhfaighidh tú tuilleadh léirmheasanna, ailt agus an nuacht is déanaí. Cover image and illustrations on pages 3, 5 and 28 by Fintan Wall www.fintanwall.com Articles © respective authors. The views expressed in the articles and reviews are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent Children’s Books Ireland policy. Ailt © ag na húdair faoi seach. Is le húdair na n-alt agus na léirmheasanna na tuairimí atá léirithe iontu agus ní gá go dtiocfaidís le polasaí Leabhair Pháistí Éireann. inis features contents/clár 4 editorial 17 we are the poets Laureate na nÓg project manager Aingeala Flannery 6 reading pictures looks back over the laureateship of Sarah Crossan Librarian Robin Stewart interviews picturebook creator, and three-time Caldecott Medal winner, David Wiesner 20 children’s books ireland resources 9 p is for poetry Catherine Ann Cullen talks to Seamus Cashman 22 the impact of COVID-19 of and Emma Byrne about the ground-breaking the wider books sector Something Beginning with P Kim Harte explores the far-reaching impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Irish children’s book 13 bainimis dínn an clóca industry dofheictheachta ‘Bíodh leabhair Ghaeilge do pháistí le feiceáil.’ 29 reviews/léirmheasanna a deir Laureate na nÓg, Áine Ní Ghlinn 16 how is the Laureate na nÓg chosen? 3 JULY 2020 editorial/eagarfhocal Extraordinary, unprecedented, gets the recognition it deserves alongside shortlisted artists had opportunities to challenging … Our work is deeply rooted its counterpart in English. interact with audiences, not in schools this in words and yet it is difficult to find the year but digitally, thanks to Ecclesiastical’s This year was a triumph for the Irish right ones to describe the months since the Movement for Good Award and the language at the KPMG Children’s Books last issue of Inis was published. You will Arts Council of Northern Ireland. Over Ireland Awards, as indeed it was for be reading this on a screen – Inis 60 is our €24,000 was paid to our shortlisted and women and for verse novels. The winner first ever digital-only issue, a decision that winning artists through the awards, and of the Book of the Year Award, Máire was made in order to help us plan with because their appearances were online Zepf, represented the hat trick, with her certainty how we could safely deliver it to rather than in schools, artists were paid Irish language verse novel Nóinín. Mór our members when so much uncertainty both to undertake school ‘visits’ via Zoom agus Muilc was our second Irish language prevailed. The print issue will return and and were provided with training and paid award-winner, with Kim Sharkey taking undoubtedly has a much-valued place for to self-record video pieces that we had the Eilís Dillon Award for a first children’s us and for our members, but for this issue edited and produced. These videos have book. Ashling Lindsay was given the in particular, the additional ‘space’ granted reached over 21,000 viewers to date and Honour Award for Illustration for her by going digital, without the worry of are available on our YouTube channel and picturebook The Tide (written by Clare rising print and postage costs, allows us our website. Helen Welsh), and Sarah Crossan’s Toffee, to document and reflect on the impact of a novel in verse, took the Honour Award The Children’s Books Ireland website COVID-19 on our sector. Kim Harte’s for Fiction, recognising a pair of stories has finally become the repository of comprehensive long-form article takes in with real heart on the subject of dementia. excellent quality content we have been the views of artists, booksellers, librarians Finally, the Judges’ Special Award winner striving for, for some time, accelerated and publishers and gives a glance into was Meg Grehan for The Deepest Breath, and necessitated by the needs of families some of the work we have been doing our third verse novel to take a prize. With for reliable, expert information and since March to try to adapt our work to no trophies cast due to closed foundries activities to guide children and young the quickly changing reality of life lived and no awardees anywhere near any staff people in their reading and creativity. We at home. We expect to look back on this member’s five-kilometre radius, we feared released a free PDF of Small Print, which article in years to come as a record of this that the joy of the ceremony would be lost was originally intended to give tools to time and wonder how our community in a digital iteration. But with over three preschool teachers to explore picturebooks did so much for so many in the midst of a hundred live viewers (and now over 2,700 in fresh, simple, child-focused ways that pandemic. views), our YouTube premiere felt closer would reflect the Aistear early childhood As the announcement came from to the real thing than we expected, with curriculum framework. Academic as Government that schools would close in the comments throughout articulating that may sound, the activities are easy mid-March, Children’s Books Ireland the excitement and pride of those who for families to do and the guide includes was about to embark on a programme would have marked the occasion with us reading tips to build parents’ confidence of activity that would see us donate over in person. and make the experience fun for the 5,000 books to over 160 schools and early child. Reviews editor and book doctor As well as celebrating excellent books for learning settings to spark excitement about Juliette Saumande’s imagination and children, the KPMG Children’s Books reading. Three of our most important resourcefulness in writing the activities are Ireland Awards celebrated a young reader events of the year were to take place in seemingly boundless, and we are grateful for the first time this year, with the the following months. The finale event to the Department of Children and Youth inaugural KPMG Reading Hero Award. of Laureate na nÓg Sarah Crossan’s term Affairs for their support. Our winner, Harry Darcy, age eleven, was to be a celebration of young poets was nominated by his best friend, who The Any-Book Book Club is another free from all over Ireland, interspersed with described him as a book guru who reads set of activities written by Juliette, which performances from the facilitators who constantly, ‘on the bus, on school trips, can be done with any books a child has brought #WeAreThePoets to life over the in the car, on the subs bench at matches around the house, getting around the past two years. The inauguration of our waiting to take to the field, in class when issue of access to particular books and new Laureate na nÓg, Áine Ní Ghlinn, he is supposed to be doing something indeed access to a printer, both obstacles was to take place as part of the Galway else (driving the teacher mad) and even we needed to avoid in order to make this 2020 European Capital of Culture events.
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