Ten of the Best: Irish Children’s Books

Gráinne Clear selects ten of the best Irish children’s books.

Could there be a more joyful but impossible task than writing about ten of the best Irish children’s books? Researching and then limiting an endless list of remarkable books to just ten? As a country known for its way with words, its mastery of storytelling, its outstanding artists, there are not only dozens but hundreds of books that could have been in this roundup. I’ve chosen some of the very finest examples of storytelling, characterization and illustration that have, in some way, been ground-breaking or a big moment in Irish children’s fiction, as well as books that I have found myself reading again and again. For a hundred more recommendations, come find me at a book launch or on the internet – and let’s discuss.

Owl Babies
Martin Waddell and Patrick Benson (Walker Books, 1992)

Long renowned as a classic in the world of picturebooks, Owl Babies is a lyrical, powerful story of three young owlets waiting for their mother’s return. Impatient and hungry, the baby owls wait and wait, the stakes gently rise until – with the great whoosh of a page turn and of flapping wings – mummy returns! Will there ever be a greater moment of relief than ‘And she came’? Dark backgrounds, intricate line work and gleaming natural tones of brown, green and blue show a world of darkness and moonlight, a forest full of danger – but also a cosy home. This book is a thing of great beauty and remarkable storytelling.

Oh No, George!
Chris Haughton (Walker Books, 2011)

I could have chosen any one of Chris Haughton’s masterpieces of deceptively simple storytelling, colour and form – but Oh No, George! carries a special place in my heart for its deeply loveable main character: George the dog, who tries to be good, who wants to be good, but finds it so very difficult to be good. Glowing artwork and numerous opportunities for young readers to join in in the joyful, scolding repetition of ‘Oh no, George!’ throughout the text make this book enormous fun, and a complete pleasure to re-read a hundred times over. A message of how no-one is perfect, but every one of us is as loveable as the highly stressed-out George, marks this as one of the absolute greats.

Rabbit and Bear: Rabbit’s Bad Habits
Julian Gough and Jim Field (Hodder Children’s Books, 2016)

For those of us who adore Frog and Toad with a fervent passion, who stand over Winnie the Pooh as a tome of great wisdom, empathy and hilarious unlikely friendships, make space on your shelf for the perfect duo that is Rabbit and Bear. The story revolves around a grouchy, didactic Rabbit learning a thing or two about friendship and sharing from soft-hearted Bear – with Bear (and the reader) learning about gravity, avalanches … and poo. The witty and warm text sparks with funny dialogue and simply adventure, brought to life by Jim Field’s joyful illustrations. This is a series that every child will love.

The Weight of Water
Sarah Crossan (Bloomsbury, 2011)

This hugely original and perfectly composed verse novel by former Laureate na nÓg is a beautiful exploration of what it is to come to a new place, to build a new life, and to make yourself anew – while still holding on to who you are. One of the first Irish verse novels, it follows the story of Kasienka, a 13-year-old girl who moves from Poland to England with her broken-hearted mother. The only release Kasienka finds from this cold, strange new place is through the thing that brings her greatest joy: swimming. Painful, hopeful, beautiful, accessible, this is a story that stayed with me for years after reading.

The Deepest Breath
Meg Grehan (Little Island Books, 2019)

This verse novel is a rare, beautiful exploration of first romantic feelings and self-discovery, following the story of one of the most endearing characters in middle grade fiction: eleven-year-old Stevie. Stevie likes lots of things: the sea, reading, and the fizzy feeling she gets when she’s with her friend Chloe – the kind of feeling she thinks she’s supposed to get with Richard, or Andrew. Her search for answers leads her to the library, where Stevie is finally able to understand her romantic interest in other girls, and ‘let out a big breath/Long and slow/ A steady/Woosh’. This is one of those stories that is about so many things – anxiety, sexuality, the power of reading to transform lives – but is so carefully and delicately written that reading it simply feels like taking a long, deep and reassuring breath.

Skulduggery Pleasant
Derek Landy (HarperCollins, 2007)

This might be one of the widely-read titles on the list, with millions of copies sold worldwide, and it deserves every bit of its success. Clever, funny fantasy-adventure that crosses into so many other genres, including horror, mystery and pure comedy, this is a hugely clever series that will appeal to so many different types of readers. Following the character of Skulduggery – a skeleton, sorcerer, detective and smartass – and his partner Valkyrie Cain, they overcome trial after tribulation with their numerous magic-wielding allies over the course of (to date) sixteen books. Excitement and page-turning action as well as some of the smartest dialogue in any series, this is the ultimate fun, accessible and pacy read.

Artemis Fowl
Eoin Colfer (Penguin, 2001)

I simply couldn’t have a roundup of great Irish children’s books without a book by Eoin Colfer, and the truth is that this recommendation is my ten-year-old self speaking with a loud and firm voice: you must read Artemis Fowl. Following the story of a twelve-year-old criminal mastermind who hatches an ingenious plot to steal all the gold in fairy land, this is a whip smart, pacy story with characters that climb right out of the page. The unscrupulous Artemis Fowl should be the kid you love to hate, but instead you almost will him to succeed in his dastardly schemes – while also rooting for the bold and brilliant Captain Holly Short of the LEPrecon. Colfer’s take on old-world fairies and his careful, techy worldbuilding is completely believable, making this a modern classic that is still going strong twenty years on.

A Dangerous Crossing
Jane Mitchell (Little Island Books, 2017)

Jane Mitchell is an author who writes with remarkable care – both in her research into the lives and experiences of the people she writes about, and the way in which she tells that story, delivered with the perfect level of truth and fiction, of safety and danger. This book follows the story of thirteen-year-old Ghalib, a boy from Kobani in Syria, who is fleeing his home country due to the war. We follow him on his journey across many countries, finally making his way to a boat, to the sea, and to an unknown shore where the rest of his life will begin. First-person perspective and present tense makes this story especially immersive, immediate and powerful. This recommendation was a close tie with Run for Your Life, a moving and important exploration of life in Direct Provision by the same author.

Nóinín
Máire Zepf (Cois Life, 2019)

This powerful, compelling verse novel by (just former) Laureate na nÓg tells a powerful story of the online grooming of a teenage girl that builds to a shocking crime, told from the perspective of her best friend. Its imagery is rich, the language utterly beautiful, and the references to fairy tales and Irish mythology expertly and effortlessly woven through. Written in Irish, but accessible to many unsteady Irish-language readers in its verse form, this award-winning and very special book is a standout of modern stories in the Irish language, and helping to create a literature for today’s young Irish speakers that is deeply relevant to their own lives.

Tangleweed and Brine
Deirdre Sullivan (Little Island Books, 2017)

This superb and deeply original collection of thirteen dark, feminist retellings of traditional fairytales follows in the tradition of Angela Carter, but is a masterpiece entirely its own. Emerging before the great wave of feminist retellings of the last few years, Deirdre Sullivan set the bar for all those that followed, taking stories from Cinderella to Rumpelstiltskin, and exploring the perspectives of the women behind each of these tales. Winner of numerous awards in its year of publication, it was soon followed by the equally magnificent Savage Her Reply, a retelling of the Children of Lir from the perspective of Aífe, the traditional villain. Tales of blood and intrigue, betrayal and enchantment – with stunning, intricate black and white illustrations by Irish artist Karen Vaughan.

Gráinne Clear is a Senior Commissioning Editor at Walker Books, with a focus on fiction for age 6+. She was previously Publishing Manager and Art Director at Little Island Books, an independent Irish children’s publisher. She is also the co-founder of the Staróg Prize for new voices in Irish children’s fiction, has written and hosted two children’s literature series for RTÉ Radio, was president of IBBY Ireland and a board member of Publishing Ireland, and worked as a storyteller. You can find her on Twitter at @grainneclear.