A Selection of Essays

Edited by Valerie Coghlan and Siobhán Parkinson this is a unique collection of essays about contemporary writers and illustrators for children, this publication offers an authoritative yet accessible commentary about thirteen of Ireland's most successful writers and illustrators for children.

This collection is an invaluable resource for anyone interested in contemporary Irish children's books and highlights the wealth of Irish based children's books talent.

Illustrated in full colour, it is indexed and contains references to many useful articles and monographs about Irish authors and illustrators and Irish children's literature.

Featured authors and illustrators: Eoin Colfer, Marie-Louise Fitzpatrick, Maeve Friel, P.J. Lynch, Sam McBratney, Elizabeth O'Hara, Mark O'Sullivan, Siobhán Parkinson, Niamh Sharkey, Matthew Sweeney, Kate Thompson, Martin Waddell and Gerard Whelan

Contributors:Valerie Coghlan, Robert Dunbar, Lucinda Jacob, Celia Keenan, Liz Morris, Ciara Ní Bhroin, Lucy O'Dea, Siobhán Parkinson, AJ Piesse, Carole Redford and John Short. Price: €15 (plus p & p)

Edited by Liz Morris and Suzanna Coghlan this is an exciting and innovative guide to the role that books can play in promoting respect for human and cultural diversity. Its articles and reviews provide lively, thoughtful and accesible information about books and book-related projects of interest to everyone concerned with helping young people to navigate the chnaging waters of our increasingly diverse society.

• Reviews of almost 180 books
• Picture Books, fiction for all ages, Irish and dual language books, poetry, folktales, mythology and non-fiction
• Articles by respected commentators on children's books about development and intercultural education
• Listings of relevant resources, organisation and publication details

What's the Story?
The Reading Choices of Young People in Ireland
ISBN: 18729100

What's the Story? is the first large scale comprehensive survey of the leisure time reading choices of young people in Ireland. Published by Children's Books Ireland in 2002, the research was conducted by Dr. Deirdre Haslett. Over 2,200 students from Ireland, North and South, took part in the study. They came from 62 different schools, urban and rural, large and small. Areas covered in the research include:

• Favourite Books
• Favourite Authors
• Popular Genres
• Favourite Periodicals
• Recent Book Buying
• Book Ownership
• Influences in Choosing a Book to Read
• Books in the Home
• School and Local Libraries
• Buying and Borrowing Books
• Periodicals

What's the Story?is essential reading for anyone concerned with books and young people.

Copies of What's the Story? are available from Children's Books Ireland, contact us to order your copy.
Price: €10.00/£6.35stg/$9.00 (plus p & p) for Children's Books Ireland Members - click here to become a member and pay for What's the Story? at the member rate.
€30.00/£18.75stg/$29.00 (plus p & p) for non-members

Book Choice for Primary Schools

Book Choice for Primary Schools was published in 2001 and edited by Rosemary Hetherington and Claire Ranson. Book Choice for Primary Schools lists over 1,000 titles recommended for primary school children, divided into age groups. Each title has a key code, to enable adults to ensure that the books they select are suitable for their intended readership. A selection of annotations and cover images are also included. The publication contains the Department of Education and Science's recommendations on School Libraries and lists of resource organisations, recommended books and journals and information about series fiction.

This publication was commissioned by the Department of Education and Science and is a collaborative project of Children's Books Ireland and Dublin City Public Libraries. Book Choice for Primary Schools was funded by the National Reading Initiative and the National Development Plan. Copies of the guide were distributed to all primary schools in the Republic of Ireland on publication.

Copies of Book Choice for Primary School are no longer available!

Book Choice for Post-Primary Schools

Book Choice for Post-Primary Schools was published in 2003 and was edited by Claire Ranson and Julie Rowan. Book Choice for Post-Primary Schools lists recommended titles for secondary school students, divided by age group. All titles are key-coded and the publication contains a range of annotations and cover images. The booklet contains the Department of Education and Science's recommendations on School Libraries and lists of resource organisations and recommended books and journals.

This publication has been commissioned by the Department of Education and Science from Children's Books Ireland. Book Choice for Post-Primary Schools was funded by the National Reading Initiative and the National Development Plan. Copies of the guide were distributed to all post-primary schools in the Republic of Ireland on publication. Copies of Book Choice for Post-Primary Schools is available from the Department of Education and Science and Children's Books Ireland. Contact us at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it for further details.

The Big Guide 2: Irish Children's Books
ISBN: 1872917062

The Big Guide 2: Irish Children's Books was published in 2000 and edited by Valerie Coghlan and Celia Keenan. The Big Guide 2 features a range of authoritative articles on contemporary Irish children's literature and is illustrated in full-colour. The Big Guide 2 is a companion publication to the original Big Guide and provides a wealth of information.

The book is divided into four sections: Books, Classrooms and Curricula; ‘The Past is a Foreign Country ... ‘ Writing about History; Culture, Identity and Image; and Awards and Research.

The following articles are included in the Big Guide 2:

• ‘Encouraging the Reluctant Reader' by Irene Barber
• ‘Real Books in the Lower Primary Classroom' by Gillian Perdue
• ‘Poetry in the Classroom' by Lucy O'Dea
• ‘Real Books in the Classroom - Older Readers' by Liz Morris
• ‘Encouraging the Reluctant Reader - Post-Primary' by Ro Aitken
• ‘Children's Books in 19th Century Ireland' by Janette Condon
• ‘Classic Irish Children's Books' by Robert Dunbar
• ‘The Famine told to the Children' by Celia Keenan
• ‘Does Every Picture Tell an Irish Story?' by Valerie Coghlan
• ‘A Sense of Place in Irish Children's Books' by Mary Shine Thompson
• ‘Children's Books' in Irish by Alan Titley
• ‘The Troubled Fiction of the ‘Troubles' in Northern Ireland'
  • Part 1: A General View by Celia Keenan
  • Part 2: Focus on Joan Lingard and Catherine Sefton by Kate Agnew
• ‘Difference and Conformity: What do we tell the Children?' by Carole Redford
• ‘Irish Children's Books in Translation' by Emer O'Sullivan
• ‘Book Awards' by Finian O'Shea
• ‘Researching Irish Children's Books' by Valerie Coghlan

The Big Guide to Irish Children's Books
ISBN: 1872917011

The Big Guide to Irish Children's Books was published in 1996 and edited by Valerie Coghlan and Celia Keenan, with a foreword by former President Mary Robinson. The Guide is an independent overview of books for children in Ireland, with articles on a range of issues. The book also contains details of award winners and useful organisations.

Each article in the book is followed by reviews of recommended books from the leading experts on children's books in Ireland.
The following articles are included in the guide:

• ‘Publishing for Children' in Ireland by Jeremy Addis
• ‘Action and Adventure Stories' by Irene Barber
• ‘Fantasy' by Robert Dunbar
• ‘Teenage Fiction' by John Fahy
• ‘Animal Stories' by Rosemary Hetherington
• ‘Historical Fiction' by Celia Keenan
• ‘Myths, Legends' and Folktales by Máire Kennedy
• ‘The Arts Council and Children's Books' by Sinéad Mac Aodha
• ‘Realistic Fiction' by Liz Morris
• ‘Poetry' by Tom Mullins
• ‘Information Books' by Rosemary Walton
• ‘Leabhair Ghaeilge' le Máire Uí Mhaicín

Copies of The Big Guide to Irish Children's Books are no longer available.

Chalk Talk

Chalk Talk was published September 2000, 2001 and 2002 and was a free publication with Inis magazine. Chalk Talk was a magazine for teachers and anyone interested in the use of children's books in the field of education.
Chalk Talk 2002 was edited by Geraldine Meade with assistant editor Kelly Mallon and photographer Jodi Mallon. Publishing highlights included PJ Lynch describing his interesting career as an illustrator, interviews with authors Nicky Singer and Darren Shan and articles by authors Paul Magrs, Anthony Horowitz, Liz Weir and Brian Moses.

Chalk Talk 2001 was edited by Tony Hickey and Nuala Lyons. This issue included articles about ‘Violence in Children's Literature' by John Fahy, ‘Supporting Children's Rights' by Nick Grisewood, ‘What Happens Next' by Roddy Doyle and ‘Rural Concerns' by Tony Hickey.

Chalk Talk 2000 was edited by Allison Beirne, Helen Carr, Tony Hickey and Nuala Lyons. The 2000 inaugural issue included articles on ‘Teaching Poetry in the Classroom' by John Foster, ‘School Book Fairs' by Carmel Dempsey, ‘Teenage Magazines by Helen Carr and ‘An Ghaeilge is an Ríomhaireacht' le Matt Mac Cárthaigh.

Limited numbers of Chalk Talk 2000, 2001 and 2002 are available. Contact us at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it for further details.