Twelve of my favourite Irish books for children

Monsters of Rookhaven

By Pádraig Kenny (Pan MacMillan, 2020)

Mirabelle is misbegotten – a monster – living in the shadow world of Rookhaven, separate and safe from humans. When two children unwittingly disturb her sanctuary, an unlikely friendship blossoms. When a real monster threatens all of them, Kenny reveals how difference can unite as well as divide us. Gloriously gothic, rich in atmosphere, sensitive and empathetic, Kenny’s follow-up novel, Shadows of Rookhaven, is equally good. See also Helena Duggan’s The Light Thieves series. Perfect for fans of Neil Gaiman and Chris Priestly.

The Stormkeeper’s Island

By Catherine Doyle (Bloomsbury, 2018)

This is the first in a trilogy of works in which young Fionn, a modern hero, discovers he has been chosen to be the next guardian of the island of Arranmore. However, a storm is brewing underneath the wild Atlantic waves as an army of dangerous soulstalkers prepares to do battle on behalf of their leader, the ancient Morrigan. Irish myth infuses Doyle’s setting and story, where children have the power to use their magic against the dark forces of the past. See also Doyle’s more recent The Lost Girl King and Alex Dunne’s The Book of Secrets. Perfect for fans of the magical world of Harry Potter.

Lulu Loves Flowers

By Anna McQuinn, with illustrations by Rosalind Beardshaw (Alanna Books, 2009)

Very young children love books that they can identify with and McQuinn’s Lulu series deals with a number of infant rites of passage in an artfully simple way. In stand-alone titles, Lulu plants a garden, attends preschool, prepares for her first pet, visits the library, and reads to her brother. A spin-off series centred on baby Zeki brings doctor’s trips, bedtime routines and dinnertimes into focus. See also Marie Louise Fitzpatrick’s books The New Kid and Don’t. Classic in style, they are perfect for fans of Shirley Hughes’s nursery collections.

Artemis Fowl series

By Eoin Colfer (Viking, 2001-2012)

Nonso Anozie, Lara McDonnell, Josh Gad and Ferdia Shaw in Disney’s adaptation of Artemis Fowl. Photograph: Nicola Dove

Forget about contemporary fantasy inspired by Greek myths and legends: Colfer’s Artemis Fowl series set the standard for Irish adventure fantasy firmly rooted in its own cultural tradition. The series kicks off with the kidnap of a leprechaun, although if a little goblin in a green hat comes to mind, his victim Captain Holly Smart soon disabuses readers of stereotype. There are high stakes, heroism, racy, pacy plots, and eight books to get through before starting the spin-off Fowls Twins series. See also Derek Landy’s Skulduggery Pleasant series. Perfect for fans of Rick Riordan’s addictive Percy Jackson series.

By David O’Doherty, with illustrations by Chris Judge (Penguin, 2014)

Patrick Freyne meets Docter Noel Zone, a level 5 dangerologist in Danger is Everywhere by David O'Doherty. Illustration: Chris Judge

Comedian David O’Doherty trained his storytelling gifts on children in this collaboration with illustrator Chris Judge. A series of “how to” handbooks with a comic twist, written by O’Doherty as Dr Noel Zone, the world’s greatest (only?) dangerologist, who sees imminent disaster everywhere he looks. The graphic style of presentation makes the work attractive to struggling readers, while the accident-prone Zone’s anxieties offer a nice grounding for familiar as well as outlandish childhood worries, as well as many belly laughs. See also Chris and Andrew Judge’s interactive Create Your Own series, which encourages readers to write and draw their way into the story. Perfect for fans of Jeff Kinney’s Wimpy Kid books.

[ Do you see danger everywhere? Well you should, says Docter Noel Zone ]

Wolfstongue

By Sam Thompson, illustrated by Anna Tromop (Little Island, 2021)

An Irish publication from a British writer based in Ireland for the last 20 years, the Booker-nominated Thompson’s debut children’s book is a heart-wrenching portrayal of a young boy, Silas, who struggles to communicate. Ostracised by his peers, he finds solace (and more than a fair share of danger) in the natural world. The animal characters are brought to life with human sensitivity, although the threat to their world lurks among themselves, and Silas finds his voice to try to help them. A follow-up, The Fox’s Tower, revisits the underground warren of the forest from a different, equally thrilling perspective. See also Tom McCaughren’s classic Run with the Wind series. Perfect for fans of Katya Balen and Michael Morpurgo.

The Island of Horses

By Eilís Dillon (New York Review of Books, 2018)

Reissued by the NYRB after more than a decade out of print, this story from the grandmother of Irish children’s fiction follows two friends as they set off from their Connemara island home of Inishrone to the mysteriously named Island of Horses. They find no evidence of local legends, but they do find plenty of thrilling adventures, and a strangely domesticated horse, who they try to adopt as their own. A wonderfully rendered portrait of rural Irish life in the mid-20th century, Island of Horses is perfect for fans of Enid Blyton’s mystery series.

[ Eilís Dillon: A writer who told children the unvarnished truth ]

Milly McCarthy Is a Complete Catastrophe

By Leona Forde (Gill Books, 2022)

Leona Forde Forde writes in the breathless style that parents of 10-year-old chatterboxes will immediately recognise.

Milly McCarthy is almost 11 and is almost always in trouble, whether it’s for accidentally causing a butterfly breakout at the local zoo, or washing her parents’ car with a pot scourer instead of a sponge. Forde writes in the breathless style that parents of 10-year-old chatterboxes will immediately recognise, while the familiarity of the Irish school setting and the textual layout will appeal to diary-keepers and doodlers alike. Perfect for fans of Kes Gray’s crazy Daisy series.

The London Eye Mystery

By Siobhan Dowd (Penguin, 2007)

Ted and Kat’s cousin Salim has come to visit and the siblings decide to show him the sights of London, from the top of the iconic Ferris wheel. Separated for the ride, the siblings discover that Salim has vanished from the wheel’s sealed capsule. So begins a hunt that takes them across the capital. The London Eye Mystery was only Dowd’s second book, and she died the year it was published. The equally good Bog Child was published posthumously. Both are perfect for fans of Robin Stevens’ Murder Most Unladylike series; Stevens even completed a sequel to The London Eye Mystery, The Guggenheim Mystery, which Dowd had left uncompleted on her death.

The New Girl

By Sinéad Moriarty (Gill, 2021)

Sinéad Moriarty was established as an author of popular fiction for adults when she turned to writing children's books.

An established voice in popular fiction, Moriarty brought a light touch to serious subject matter with her debut children’s book, The New Girl, telling the story of Safa, a Syrian refugee in small-town Ireland, and her unlikely friendship with outcast Ruby, establishing her immediately as an important voice in realistic fiction for young readers, whose issue-based plots reflect familiar changes in the contemporary schoolroom and home. The book’s success spurred a second socially engaged title last year, The Truth about Riley, about a young girl experiencing homelessness, as well as a just-published novel with a backdrop of climate activism, Finding Hope. See also Judi Curtin’s Alice series. Perfect for fans of Jacqueline Wilson.

Na Gabh ar Scoil/Don’t go to School

By Máire Zepf, with illustrations by Tarsila Kruse (Futa Fata, 2016)

Read this picture book aloud in its original Irish or its English language translation; either way, this is a joy to share with young children as they settle into the new routines of Montessori and school. Zepf turns traditional anxieties on their head as Mamaí struggles to let her baby, Benno, go to school. She tries to stay, but she sticks out in the sand box and at the painting table, and Benno eventually persuades her to head home, with his kiss in her pocket to mind him while he is gone. Humorous, with a heart-warming message, and colourful illustrations from Tarsila Kruse. Perfect for fans of Julia Donaldson and Alex Scheffler collaborations; Futa Fata also do Irish-language translations of their most popular titles, supporting Irish work while adding an edge to familiar bestselling titles.

Rabbit and Bear

By Julian Gough, with illustrations by Jim Field (Hodder, 2016)

Funny books are hard to get right, but Gough nails the challenge in his serial explorations of an unlikely animal duo. The vital ingredient: plenty of poo. Short chapters and a generous use of white space make the adventures easy to follow for emergent readers, while Gough’s cult status as writer for the popular Minecraft video game adds extra kudos for the reluctant reader. The sixth book is due to publish next year. For more surreal belly laughs see also Shane Hegarty’s The Shop of Impossible Ice-creams series. Perfect for fans of the perennially popular David Walliams.

[ Another Day, Another Riot, another world: Julian Gough on Toasted Heretic 30 years on ]