Waterford authors and illustrators named among best Irish books of 2026
Photographed at the launch of ‘The Best Irish Books of 2026’ are Ladan, 7, Casey, 11, Yannaty, 8, and Koby, 8, pupils from Scoil Treasa Naofa in Dublin 8, along with Senior Librarian at Kevin Street Library, Neasa McHale. Also photographed are featured artists from ‘Best Irish Books of 2026’: Zainab Boladale, author of ‘Looking for Aurora’ (The O’Brien Press); Peter Donnelly, author and illustrator of ‘I am not a Dog’ (Gill Books); Johnathan Sung, author and illustrator of ‘Moon Moon Can’t Sleep’ (Bad Book Press); Jen Wallace, author of ‘Project Dinosaur’ (Little Island Books); and Máire Zepf, author of ‘Dearg’ (Futa Futa). ‘The Best Irish Books of 2026’ reading guide is available as a free download at www.childrensbooksireland.ie. Contact: Emma Walsh, Alice Public Relations, Email: media@alicepr.com / Telephone: 083-3839791
Five books by writers and illustrators from Waterford have featured in a new free guide launched by Children’s Books Ireland.
The guide showcases the best and brightest of Irish publications for young readers in 2026 across fiction, non-fiction, graphic novels and verse.
The five Waterford titles featured are:
* ‘Irelandopedia; Colours’ written by John Burke (Gill Books);
* ‘Lá Breithe Eoinín’ written by Murieann Ní Chíobháin (Futa Fata);
* ‘The Amazing Jam’ written by Shona Shirley MacDonald (The O’Brien Press);
* ‘Nina Peanut Major Drama Alert’ written by Sarah Bowie (Scholastic); and * ‘Bilal agus Cócó’ written by Aine Uí Fhoghlú (LeabhairCOMHAR) Children’s Books Ireland are a national charity that champions every child’s right to develop a love of reading.
They are is encouraging parents, guardians and teachers in Waterford to make time for ‘reading for fun’ with the launch of ‘The Best Irish Books of 2026’ reading guide as children return to term-time routines this September.
The guide features reviews in English and as Gaeilge and includes books for all ages up to 18.
CEO of Children’s Books Ireland, Elaina Ryan said that reading is not just for school.
“For some children, the summer holidays may have been spent devouring as many books as possible, but for others, the return to school might also be a return to reading.
“We have to be careful that families don’t conflate the two, and that there is time for reading just for fun in children and young people’s lives. The enjoyment of reading is essential if our children are to become lifelong readers and reap the benefits that come from this.
In their recently published ‘Children and young people’s reading in Ireland’ report, Children’s Books Ireland found that 23% of children and young people read for fun on a daily basis.
This rises to 46% amongst those whose parents are daily readers.
“It sounds like something very simple, but international research into the educational, health and wellbeing benefits of reading for fun proves it can be a superpower that sets children up for life, making them happier, more confident at school and more likely to succeed in later life. At Children’s Books Ireland, our mission is to ensure that every child has an opportunity to unlock that superpower,” said Ms Ryan.
As part of their mission, Children’s Books Ireland empowers parents, guardians and teachers in to introduce young readers to the best Irish books available, through free resources like their annual ‘Best Irish Books’ guide.
Ryan says it’s important that children in Waterford can access stories that reflect their own lived experience and the rich culture and diversity of life in Ireland, but finding those stories still proves difficult for some.
“Our recent research found that almost one in four respondents didn’t know if they had any books by Irish artists in their home, and 50% of parents and guardians feel it’s a struggle to find something appropriate for their children to read,” said Ms Ryan.
