It's time to #DiscoverIrishKidsBooks with this round-up of some new books from Irish authors and Illustrators this June. Compiled by award-winning and best-selling Irish Author Triona Campbell.
We've so many brilliant books this month. From picture books to early readers. Chris Judge's long-anticipated graphic novel Evil Duck and the Feather of Fortune, and the Irish language version of the international publishing phenomenon that is Heartstopper. June’s new releases really have something for everyone.
Starting with Younger Readers
Little Lion Girl
By Olivia Hope, Illustrated by Fiona Woodcock
For ages 4+
Leonie and her mother are off to the big city!
Inspired by the people, sights and sounds, Leonie can't wait to discover it all. Her mother tells her to stay close, but there's SO much to see. And surely nothing can scare a brave lion girl, can it? A wild, spirited tale of imagination and self-belief.
A Crocodile Should Never Skip Breakfast
By Colleen Larmour
For ages 4+
A wickedly funny cautionary tale about the perils of missing the most important meal of the day!
Croc is running late for his shift as the river ferry. No time for breakfast. He’ll pick up some donuts at the Hippo Hut. Only, Hippo’s sold out! Good thing Croc has an emergency snack. Except, his banana has gone bad! Croc is going to have to work on an empty stomach, with loads of animals on his back. Croc gets hungrier and hungrier, thinking of donuts and...other things to eat. Will he ever make it to lunch?
Bertha and Blink
By Nicola Colton
For ages 6+
Join Bertha and Blink on an adventure full of friendship, with a sprinkling of science and a nod to nature.
When a rumble in the jungle disturbs super-star inventor Bertha’s work, she has to leave her peaceful home and investigate. To help her, she creates Blink - an excitable robo-bird sidekick who can’t wait to explore! How will the unlikely pair cope in the wilderness? And will they be able to discover the secret behind the strange noises?
Evil Duck and the Feather of Fortune
By Chris Judge
For Ages 7+
Twins Flo and Eddie are staying with their grandad while their mum travels for work. Nosing around in Grandad’s attic, they find a villainous-looking duck frozen inside a special, temperature-controlled chamber. Eddie accidentally presses the DEFROST button – and releases super-villain Evil Duck!
It turns out that Grandad, AKA Fearless Frank, is a retired superhero who captured his nemesis Evil Duck many moons ago, saving society from his sinister schemes. But now Evil Duck has escaped, and Grandad is too old to recapture him alone, Eddie and Flo are going to have to help him track the super-villain down - before he gets back to his evil ways!
Chasing the Shy Town
By Erika McGann, Illustrated by Toni Galmés
For ages 7+
From Dublin-based author Erika McGann comes a fun and playful story about the impossibility of perfection.
Senan uses his binoculars and catches a glimpse of a place he calls 'Shy Town’. With the help of his next-door friend Joshua, Gran, Paperboy (a boy made out of paper) and a Kruckle (a creature from ‘Shy town’) they set off to visit. But all is not well when they find the place Senan called Shy Town (AKA the town called ‘Perfection’). The inhabitants are living with constant worry trying be "perfect" (and ending up exhausted as a result).
What can Senan and friends do to save the kruckles from their obsession with perfection?
And not forgetting the Older Readers & Teens
Freya's Gold
By Fiona Longmuir
For ages 9+
Buried treasure. Hidden secrets. One golden chance.
Legend says the cliffs by the seaside town of Edge are riddled with smugglers' tunnels, and that gold is stashed in their caves. Freya and her best friend, Lin, love searching for treasure on the beach, but they steer clear of the dark and twisting tunnels. It'd be easy to get lost in there, and Freya's sure she can hear voices echoing from them when the wind blows.
Then a mysterious woman moves into Freya's granny's B&B and soon everything that Freya loves about Edge is under threat. It's time for Freya to face her fears. Can she strike gold before time runs out for her town?
The Tall Man
By Mary Cathleen Brown
For ages 11+
The village is alive with rumours about the "Tall Man" who once lived in the house Tom now calls home. Then one night Tom hears a boy in the cellar offering a 'special' acorn to a rat, Captain Rat, whom he begs to find the key to his leg-iron. The cellar is empty but Tom knows that the boy is real and he's convinced that he is trapped in a brutal past and the Tall Man's prisoner. Each time Tom tries to help the boy, the Tall Man's ghostly presence intensifies. Who is the boy in the cellar and can they escape Tall Man?
Heartstopper (As Gaeilge)
By Alice Oseman, Translated by Eoin McEvoy
For ages 13+
Irish language publisher Futa Fata takes its first steps into the teen market with an Irish translation of the internationally beloved 'Heartstopper’ graphic novel.
Charlie and Nick are in the same school, but they’ve never met...until one day when they’re made to sit together. They quickly become friends, and soon Charlie is falling hard for Nick, even though he doesn’t think he has a chance. But love works in surprising ways, and Nick is more interested in Charlie than either of them realised.
And that’s it for June ! All of the above are available in local libraries and books shops around the country (and make great summer reads).
See you next month for another round-up of new releases from Irish Authors and Illustrators.
For more book recommendations check out Discover Irish Kids Books or give them a follow on Instagram or X
Graphic by Bex Sheridan
Triona Campbell is the Author of ‘A Game of Life Or Death’ and ‘The Traitor in the Game’ and part of the team at #DiscoverIrishKidsBooks - a campaign which aims to highlight and celebrate Irish Kids and teen books.
