‘It is a great honour to be chosen as the next Laureate na nÓg. I am a picture book maker so my focus as Laureate will certainly be visual as well as literary. I am going to get to do even more of what I love most – promoting quality children’s literature and encouraging children to read, write and draw.  I have lots of ideas that I hope will inspire creativity in children of all ages. I’m very excited and can’t wait to get started’

Warmest congratulations to Niamh Sharkey, Ireland’s second and newest Laureate na nÓg! The announcement was made by President Michael D Higgins when he presented Niamh with her Laureate na nÓg medal to mark the beginning of her two year term as Laureate.

Niamh is a wonderful award-winning author and illustrator of children’s picture books. Her books have won numerous awards including the prestigious Mother Goose Award for the Best New Illustrator and The Bisto Book of the Year for her first two Picture Books; Tales of Wisdom and Wonder and The Gigantic Turnip.  Her most recent picture book, On the Road with Mavis and Marge won the 2010 Junior Book of the Year award at The Irish Book Awards and was shortlisted for the Bisto Book of the Year Awards.

Niamh’s books have been translated into over twenty languages. Tales from Old Ireland was included in the International Board of Books for Young People Honour Book List in 2002. She has exhibited her artwork many times both in Ireland and abroad, is an active member of Illustrators Ireland and twice she has created the image for the National Children’s Books Festival. She is the creator and co-Producer of The Happy Hugglemonsters – a 52 episode televised pre-school series for Disney Worldwide, based on her book I’m a Happy Hugglewug, currently in production with Oscar nominated Brown Bag Films. It will air in over 150 countries in 2013.

Laureate na nÓg is an initiative of the Arts Council with the support of the Office of the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Children’s Books Ireland, Poetry Ireland and the Arts Council of Northern Ireland. The role of Laureate na nÓg was established in 2010 to recognise the role and importance of literature for children.  The position is held for a period of two years, during which the Laureate will reach a wide and diverse audience throughout Ireland and internationally through selected events and initiatives.

I wish Niamh every good fortune with this richly deserved honour.

Laureate na nÓg 2012-2014

The 2012 Children’s Books Ireland Annual Conference will be held from 19th-20th May. Always an exciting and packed weekend celebrating the very best in books for young people from home and abroad, this year’s conference is entitled Weaving a Shared Story and it takes place in the National Library of Ireland, Kildare Street. This year’s line-up includes Alexis Deacon, the Emberley family, Éilís Ní Dhuibhne, Chris Judge, Judi Curtin, Sally Nicholls, Nicola Pierce and Alan Early.

Finally, on 28th May, the CBI Children’s Book of the Year Award (formerly that Bisto Children’s Book of the Year Awards) will be announced, with the winners chosen from a short-list of 9 books (detailed in an earlier posting on this blog). These awards identify, honour and promote excellence in books for young people by Irish authors and illustrators and are eagerly watched by young readers and adults alike.

The prize for the winning poet is a specially designed trophy and a free place on Hawk’s Well drama summer camp from Monday 2nd – Friday 6th July 2012. In addition, the winning poem will be printed and displayed in The Cat and The Moon Shop in Sligo, in the Hawk’s Well Theatre and in the local press. In addition to a prize for the winning poet, the winning school will get a €100 voucher from Hawk’s Well to put towards their next booking at the theatre.

If you would like to enter the competition, you need to send in a completed application form to Hawk’s Well Theatre, or email the poem to info@hawkswell.com.

The competition has a few simple rules:

• You must be between 8 and 10 years of age to enter
• You must write a poem called The Cat and the Moon
• You may submit a maximum of three poems to the competition
• The poem you submit must be written by you
• The poem can be in any style or form, and must be 5 lines long
• The competition is open to young poets living anywhere in the world
• The last day for submission of competition entries is 1st June 2012

Such commitment and dedication was demonstrated last week by a group of aspiring writers who travelled from different parts of the country and gave up their weekend to attend my children’s writing course in the Irish Writers’ Centre, learning something of the craft of writing books for children and young people. It wasn’t all hard work: there were plenty of laughs, good chat and lots of great ideas. The originality and diversity humming in that room was enough to excite any editor, and as always happens, I was blown away by terrific ideas folks had thought up. From the impact of drug-dealing on a young boy in Limerick, to the grief and physical pain of a broken relationship, to the delightful tale of a new zoo-keeper struggling to organise the animals for a special visitor, strong ideas came bubbling up. I really hope something comes of them and they don’t get shoved in the back of a drawer, never to see the light of day.

Some of the plot outlines, character profiles and story arcs produced by the participants will definitely result in terrific stories to engage and captivate young readers, if their creators continue to build on the work started during the weekend. I only hope that the ensuing work required to take their original ideas and craft them into something wonderful won’t seem too arduous a task. And I sincerely hope that the publishing industry takes notice of some of them so that a wider audience can enjoy the hard work and great stories of fledgling new writers for children and young adults.

Novels in free verse are neither poetry nor prose, but instead occupy some strange place in-between and I’m always a little wary of them; however, this work absorbed me entirely. The sparse writing means that the focus is wholly on the essential moments in Kasienka’s lonely introduction to a new school, her impoverished existence sharing a single room and bed with her mother and her heartbreaking experience of bullying. There is little room for extraneous description or whimsical departures into subplots. The lyrical verses are laconic, capturing perfectly Kasienka’s confusion, doubt and unhappiness. They sit independently on the pages, yet are linked to create a powerful story that moves smoothly from one event to the next.

For such a brief work, characterisation still manages to be strong and well-rounded. It is easy to warm to and empathise with Kasienka, while the other characters: Kanoro, Tata, her mother, are believable and true. The novel’s antagonist, Clair, is strong and authentic, while William, the origin of Kasienka’s fledgling confidence, occupies enough space for us to see his importance in her heart.

Ultimately, this tale is one of hope, courage and redemption. With the support of the people around her, Kasienka finds her own strength and ultimately, she triumphs. This is an important book for the themes it tackles, but also entirely enjoyable and even a touch magical in its own right.

Warmest congratulations to the authors and illustrators of the nine shortlisted titles:

A GREYHOUND OF A GIRL by Roddy Doyle: A book about twelve-year-old Mary, her mother Scarlett, her grandmother Emer and her great-grandmother Tansey. Emer is dying in hospital, and the ghost of her mother Tansey, who died when Emer was three, arrives on the scene to assure her that everything will be alright. She also has plenty to say to the two younger members of the family, and soon all four women find themselves on an unforgettable road trip. Funny, moving, thought-provoking and featuring one of the most likeable ghosts since Casper, the characters and events in this story will stay with you long after you have finished reading.

BRUISED by Siobhán Parkinson: 14 year old Jono loves his little sister Julie and would do anything to protect her. The problem is that his mum has some problems with alcohol, meaning that she can’t bring up Jono and Julie the way she should. Once the children’s Gramma passes away, Jono and Julie are left alone, and forced to run away in order to survive. Can Jono still keep his little sister safe?

INTO THE GREY by Celine Kiernan: Set in the 1970’s, Into The Grey tells the story of identical teenage twins Patrick and Dominic who are forced to move after a fire destroys their family home. Along with their little sister Dee, their parents and their senile grandmother they struggle to adjust to life in a temporary house. Soon after the move a series of frightening nighttime events begin to worry Patrick and he watches as his beloved twin brother struggles to retain control of his body. Previous inhabitants of their temporary home are struggling to come to terms with their own history and the boy’s fragility allows ghosts and spirits to take hold of them.

MAITRÍÓISCE by Siobhán Parkinson: Nuair a shroicheann Mara trí bliana déag d’aois tá sí ag súil go mór lena bronntanas ach nuair a osclaíonn sí é, athraíonn an scéal. Ní iPod nó seodra atá ann ar chor ar bith ach sraith bábóg maitríóisce ón Rúis. Séad fíne óna sheanmháthair atá ann agus ar dtús níl suim dá laghad aici sa bhronntanas páistiúil seo. Ní hamháin sin ach tá ceann de na bábógíní ar strae! De réir a chéile, tuigeann Mara go bhfuil stair taobh thiar den bhábóg caillte agus téann sí sa tóir ar an fhírinne faoi bhrí agus scéal na bábóige seo. Lena cara Dorota lena taobh, glacann Mara ról an bleachtaire agus í ag iarraidh níos mó a fhoghlaim faoina gcúlra agus faoi stair na bábóige.

When Mara reaches her thirteenth birthday she looks forward to her present but when she finally opens it, it’s a different story. It is not an iPod or jewellery but a series of Russian dolls. They turn out to be an heirloom from her grandmother and at first Mara has no interest whatsoever in this seemingly childish present. If that weren’t bad enough, one of the dolls turns out to be missing. As time progresses, Mara begins to understand the history surrounding the missing doll and she intuitively goes in pursuit of the truth behind the Russian dolls. With her friend Dorota by her side, Mara assumes the role of detective in an attempt to track down the missing doll and to uncover more about her own interesting heritage.

MY DAD IS TEN YEARS OLD: AND IT’S PURE WEIRD by Mark O’Sullivan: Eala’s dad has had an accident. This is the story of how she and her family tackle the aftermath. After a brain injury leaves him with the mental age of a ten year old, it is up to Eala and her brother to discover their dad’s past to begin rebuilding their future. Filled with honesty and heartbreak, My Dad is Ten Years Old takes you to the darker reality of personal tragedy.

Ó CHRANN GO CRANN le Caitríona Hastings agus Andrew Whitson (illus.): Tá cailín óg d’arbh ainm Nia chun bogadh óna teach álainn faoin tuath chuig teach nua sa chathair mar go bhfuair a Dhaid post nua ansin. Níl sí róshásta faoi seo mar go mbeidh uirthi a chairde sa phobal agus sa scoil go léir a fhágáil. Faighimid amach gurb iad na préacháin ag bun an ghairdín an dream a mbeidh níos brónaí fúthu agus í ag fágáil. Léirítear dúinn go mbíodh na préacháin agus súgradh le Nia i gcónaí agus go raibh sí in ann bráth orthu nuair a bhíodh sí faoi ghruaim.

A young girl named Nia is about to move from her idyllic home in the countryside to a new house in her city, where her father has just been offered a new job. She is rather upset about this as she will be forced to leave her friends, her community and in particular her precious crows who congregate in the oak tree at the bottom of her garden to play with her every day.

STUCK by Oliver Jeffers: Stuck tells the tale of Floyd, who has managed to get his kite stuck up a tree. To try and get it down he throws his shoe at it and…that gets stuck too! Oh dear, what will he do next? The answer might surprise you as Floyd’s unusual response to the problem gets way out of hand!

THE BUTTERFLY HEART by Paula Leyden: This is a lyrical story from the butterfly heart of Africa. Sisters Bul-Boo and Madillo are worried about their friend Winifred, who has lost her gentle smile and no longer puts up her hand in class. Then the twins discover her secret: she is to be married off to her uncle’s friend, who drinks heavily and is old enough to be her grandfather. While Winifred has become resigned to her fate, her friends are determined to put a stop to the marriage. But what can they do? They ask the advice of Ifwafwa, the snake man, who promises to think about the problem. Ifwafwa is wise and has a gift with snakes, but he does not like to hurry and Bul-Boo becomes impatient. Will he be too late to save their friend?

WILL GALLOWS AND THE SNAKE-BELLIED TROLL by Derek Keilty: Will Gallows is a young elfing sky cowboy who is riding out on an dangerous quest. His mission? To bring Noose Wormworx the evil snake-bellied troll, to justice. Noose is wanted for the murder of Will’s pa, and Will won’t stop until he’s got revenge!

Fighting Words is a wonderful resource centre in Dublin that provides tutoring in all forms of creative writing for children and young people. Everything is provided free to ensure that everyone who comes to Fighting Words is treated equally and has the same opportunities. It was co-founded by Seán Love and author Roddy Doyle in January 2009.

On 27^th March next, Seán will be talking about the importance of creativity, creative writing and children’s literature, and his talk will be followed by the AGM of IBbY Ireland. The event is free to attend and all are welcome.

For more information and to book a place, contact Elaina O’Neill: eoneill@gmail.com

‘Hi’ also to the students of Rockford Manor Secondary School, where I met the lively first years and the Leaving Cert Applied students, who showed how imaginative and inventive they can be during a creative writing workshop. The time just flew by as each student created strong and fully-credible characters, each with her own story to tell. It’s amazing how young people have so much natural creativity within them that just bursts out, once they are given the right environment and encouragement. Pretty much like my bouquet of spring hyacinths.

World Book Day is a celebration of authors, illustrators, books and reading. Designated by UNESCO as a worldwide celebration, it’s the biggest celebration of its kind, marked in over 100 countries all over the world. The main aim of World Book Day in Ireland is to encourage children to explore the pleasures of books and reading. What are you doing to show your appreciation of books and reading?

I’m visiting schools and libraries over the next few days, giving talks and organising writing workshops and encouraging young readers by opening their eyes to the wonder and excitement of books. Maybe I’ll inspire the writers of tomorrow to start honing their craft!

I came across the charming little animation:  The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr Morris Lessmore. If you want to experience a few precious minutes of pure magic, it’s well worth a look.

Laureate na nÓg is an initiative of the Arts Council with the support of the Office of the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs (OMCYA), Children’s Books Ireland, Poetry Ireland and the Arts Council of Northern Ireland.

This important project:

1. Introduces high quality children’s literature to a new audience of adults, children and young people.
2. Raises the profile of children’s literature in Ireland.
3. Increases media attention for children’s literature in Ireland and internationally.
4. Brings children’s literature into the mainstream conversation about books and literature in Ireland.
5. Builds partnership and cooperation among various players in the children’s literature sector.

The initiative was instigated in 2010 with the inauguration of Siobhán Parkinson as Ireland’s first ever Laureate na nÓg. Children’s Books Ireland is now seeking nominations for the 2012 – 2014 laureateship.

The person nominated must meet five key criteria:

1. The laureate should be a writer or illustrator with an internationally recognised body of high quality children’s writing and/or illustration, and may write in Irish or English.
2. He or she must have made a particularly significant contribution to the field of children’s literature in Ireland and have had a considerable positive impact on readers as well as other writers and illustrators.
3. He or she must demonstrate both eagerness and skill in engaging with children, young people, adults and media and with the sector as a whole.
4. He or she should demonstrate an enthusiasm for promoting children’s literature in general.
5. The laureate must be Irish

Laureate na nÓg 2012 – 2014 will be chosen by the selection committee which will include representatives from the Arts Council, Children’s Books Ireland, OMCYA and Poetry Ireland as well as experts from a range of relevant fields. The new Laureate na nÓg will be announced in May 2012.