Ennis journalist and television presenter Zainab Boladale features in a new reading guide from Children’s Books Ireland which spotlights the best Irish books of 2024 to date.
Boladale read from her début title, ‘Braids Take a Day’, and signed copies for eventgoers at the launch of ‘Recommended Irish Reads 2024’ at a Culture Night event in Dubray Books in Dublin on Friday.
Curated by Children’s Books Ireland, the reading guide spotlights authors, illustrators and their publishers from or based in Ireland and features 200 titles, in Irish and English, for readers aged 0–18 years.
Published for young people aged 12–15+, ‘Braids Take a Day’ is a coming of age novel that centres Abi, a young girl in a small town in the West of Ireland, as she explores the complexities of identity, tradition and culture. In the book, Abi reconnects with her Nigerian heritage through hair braiding.
Speaking at the launch, Laureate na nÓg, Patricia Forde, said: “Our children need to see themselves in books, whether they trace their lineage back to Fionn Mac Cumhaill, or have only recently arrived on our shores. This reading guide is an essential resource for parents/carers, educators, librarians and booksellers in Clare and of course, our young readers themselves! And it will definitely come in handy for anyone starting to think about gift-buying for young readers in the coming months!
“Why does it matter that the writers and illustrators featured call Ireland home? Because our children need to see stories that reflect their identities and surroundings, from artists who understand and can relate to their lived experiences. Children in Clare need role models to pave pathways that will help them to realise their dreams. We see it in sport, we see it in theatre and film, and we need to see it in the realm of children’s books.”
The ‘Recommended Irish Reads 2024’ guide is available to download from the Children’s Books Ireland website. With 25,000 copies distributed across the country, it will be widely available free of charge through local libraries and participating bookshops in Clare.
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.
Zainab feature in an episode of Clare FM’s Atlantic Tales.