This year 4,600 copies of Wider than the Sea by Serena Molloy have been gifted to students across 134 Primary Schools throughout Ireland as Children's Books Ireland and Enterprise Mobility team up again for the ROAD (Respect, Opportunity, Achievement, Diversity) Forward initiative.
The aim of the book gifting programme is to increase book ownership among children, enhancing literacy levels and inspiring a life-long love of reading. Additionally, the focus this year is also on supporting young readers with dyslexia, a condition affecting an estimated 1 in 10 students in Ireland.
The Galway-based author, Serena Molloy, grappled with dyslexia during her formative years and now writes stories that celebrate neurodiversity. Her book, Wider Than The Sea, features a dyslexic protagonist, enabling many young readers to see themselves reflected in the story.
The book has also been designed with accessibility in mind, using larger, well-spaced font and black-and-white illustrations by George Ermos.
Read the review on the Children's Books Ireland website.
The counties where schools will be receiving books include: Donegal, Dublin, Carlow, Cavan, Clare, Cork, Galway, Kerry, Kildare, Kilkenny, Leitrim, Limerick, Longford, Louth, Mayo, Meath, Offaly, Roscommon, Sligo, Tipperary, Waterford, Westmeath, Wexford and Wicklow.
Schools can visit the CBI website and sign up to the schools newsletter. Applications for next year's programme will open in May - contact bookgifting@childrensbooksireland.ie.
This project – which has gifted more than 10,000 books in Ireland to date – is funded by Enterprise Mobility's global ROAD Forward initiative. Launched in 2020, this initiative represents a €50 million commitment over five years aimed at advancing social and racial equity in communities worldwide.
