Who love's reading? This week, RTÉjr headed down to the KPMG Children's Books Ireland Awards to meet with the winning authors, illustrators and readers.
And we made a special RTÉjr Radio show, so sit back and listen to find out more about the amazing people who create the beautiful books that we all love.
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The six winners were announced today by host Rick O’Shea at a ceremony held in Merrion Square, as part of International Literature Festival Dublin.
Selected by an independent panel of expert judges, including a Young Judge, and a network of Junior Jurors nationwide, the winning titles include an illustrated retelling of Cinderella as Gaeilge; an anthology of unsung stories about Ireland’s mythical goddesses; a mischievous mystery for younger readers; a colourful adventure tale of bravery and friendship; and a supernatural page-turner for ages nine and up, drawing on the darker side of Irish folklore.
Girls Who Slay Monsters, written by debut author Ellen Ryan and illustrated by Shona Shirley Macdonald (shortlisted in 2022 for Cluasa Capaill ar an Rí), won both the KPMG Book of the Year Award and the KPMG Junior Juries’ Award, which is voted for by thousands of young readers across Ireland.
Following the winners of the six awards categories, Maria Flannery, KPMG Ireland Partner, announced 13-year-old Shi Lei (Mila) Chen from Presentation Secondary School, Waterford, as winner of the KPMG Reading Hero Award, which recognises remarkable passion and achievements in reading by a young person. Shi Lei was selected as the winner of this award, due to her love of reading in both English and Chinese, having moved to Ireland just two years ago. Her sister, Shi Rong, accepted the award on her behalf.
Speaking at today’s ceremony, Elaina Ryan, CEO of Children’s Books Ireland, said: "Our congratulations to every one of the authors, illustrators and publishers celebrating their wins today. Through our KPMG Junior Juries programme, we have seen the wonder and delight that these six books have inspired in young readers across Ireland, and it is a joy to recognise and reward the artists that created them at this level.
"Ireland has always been a nation of storytellers, and every one of these winners exemplifies the sheer excellence visible in contemporary Irish children’s books. As we celebrate another year of the KPMG Children’s Book Awards, we hope that today’s celebrations encourage them to keep creating stories that speak as powerfully to their readers as these."
The Award-Winning Titles
The KPMG Book of the Year Award – 'Girls Who Slay Monsters’ by debut author Ellen Ryan, illustrated by Shona Shirley Macdonald (HarperCollins Ireland).
And it took home the The KPMG Junior Juries' Award too!
The Honour Award for Fiction – ‘The Boy Who Lost His Spark’ by Maggie O’Farrell, illustrated by Daniela Jaglenka Tarrazzini (Walker Books).
The Honour Award for Illustration – ‘The Wilderness’ written and illustrated by Steve McCarthy (Walker Books).
The Eilís Dillon Award for best debut – ‘The Book of Secrets’ by Alex Dunne (The O’Brien Press).
The Judge’s Special Award – ‘An Slipéar Gloine’, written by debut children’s author Fearghas Mac Lochlainn and illustrated by Paddy Donnelly (Futa Fata).
Click here to find out more about the awards
And don't forget to check out the RTÉjr Book Club every month!
About Children's Books Ireland
Children’s Books Ireland is the national charity and arts organisation that champions every child’s right to develop a love of reading. Their mission is to inspire a love of reading in children and young people in Ireland, to share our expertise and enthusiasm with the adults who guide and influence them, to champion every child’s right to excellent books and live literature events and support the artists who make that goal possible across the island of Ireland.
