Children's Book Festival 2023

Comhairle Chontae Mhuineachaín Monaghan County Council

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2023

Children’s Book Festival 2022

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Schools Programme

Schools Programme

Introduction:

Welcome to a festival of wonder and magic, where books come alive and stories ignite the imagination! Monaghan County Library is thrilled to present Children’s Book Festival 2023, a spectacular celebration designed to ignite the love for books and reding in children’s hearts. The Monaghan Children’s Book Festival is curated especially for our young book enthusiasts. We believe that stories have the power to transport us to extraordinary places, introduce us to fascinating characters, and spark our creativity. With that in mind, get ready for a whirlwind of literary adventures! Our festival is packed with exciting activities, interactive workshops, enchanting storytelling sessions, and the chance to meet some of your favourite authors and illustrators. From exploring magical lands to solving mysteries with clever detectives, the festival promises a world of fun and learning. Prepare to embark on a captivating journey into the realm of books….

Booking Information:

If you would like to reserve spaces at our In-Person events, receive access links to our Online sessions or register for the Big Online Book Quiz please email cbf@monaghancoco.ie

All School bookings are being handled centrally through Monaghan County Library HQ. The local branch libraries cannot take bookings. All events are free to attend.

Please note: Schools may attend multiple online sessions but In-person events may be limited

We look forward to seeing you at a festival event.

Nicola Pierce

Monday 2nd October: Location: Monaghan Town

Recommended for: 4th – 6th Class Sessions: 10am, 11:30am & 1pm

Nicola Pierce has written 5 historical fiction novels for children. She has written stories about the battle of Stalingrad, the siege of Derry and John Franklin’s Artic adventure but for her visit to Monaghan she’ll be talking about her book ‘Spirit of the Titanic’.

Fifteen-year-old Sam plunges to his death whilst building his beloved Titanic. Now as the greatest ship the world has ever seen crosses the Atlantic Ocean, Sam finds himself on board – as a ghost. His spirit roams the ship, from the glamour of first class to the party atmosphere of third class. Sam shares the excitement of Jim, Isobel and their children – on their way to a new life in America. Disaster strikes when Titanic hits an iceberg. As Titanic sinks to her icy grave, Jim and his family are trapped behind locked gates … Can Sam’s spirit reach out to save them?

Shane Hegarty

Wednesday 4th October

Recommended for 2nd – 4th Class

Location: Carrickmacross Library

Sessions: 10:00am, 11:30am & 1pm

Thursday 5th RecommendedOctober for 2nd – 4th Class

Location: Clones Library Sessions: 10:00am, 11:30am & 1pm

Shane Hegarty is a children’s writer and journalist. Formerly Arts Editor of The Irish Times, his first children’s series Darkmouth was nominated for the Waterstones Prize and an Irish Book Award. His second series ‘Boot’ was nominated for the Sainsbury’s Children’s Book Awards, An Post Irish Book Awards and was selected as the Dublin UNESCO City of Literature City Wide Read for 2020. Shane is joining us to talk about his latest book in his most recent series ‘The Shop of Impossible Ice Creams’. It’s the Festival of Pirates in Splottpool, and Limpet is looking after his evil little sister, Eve, whilst his mum helps out with the festival. Mrs Cricket has also asked the kids to mind the fairy garden in the middle of the roundabout while she goes away for a week - to avoid all the piratey chaos. Trouble is brewing as they discover Mr Fluffy’s super-healthy sister has opened a smoothie palace, whose healthy fruit smoothies seem to have amazingly magical effects on the customers. But not all is as it seems with the super healthy smoothies and it’s up to Limpet to save the day, the shop - and even his evil little sister - if he must. Illustrated throughout with fabulous black and white illustrations by Jeff

Crowther

Kate Sheehy

Location: Monaghan Branch Suitable for Junior Infants – 1st Class Times: 10am, 11:30, 1pm

Thursday 5th October

Kate Sheehy is the author and illustrator of the upcoming picture book, Too Many Cats, publishing in September. This funny and charming story is an un-fur-gettable tale about the love between a little girl and her cat. Beautifully illustrated, it’s the perfect book to be read aloud.

Lily LOVES her cat, Lenny. In fact, she loves all cats. She loves cats so much that she can’t imagine ever having enough cats! She wants a house filled with all kinds of cats - blonde cats, ginger cats, brown and multi-coloured cats, stripy cats, spotty cats, lots and lots and lots of cats!

But when she hatches the purr-fect plan to make her dream come true, things quickly start to go wrong. There are simply TOO MANY cats. Suddenly, Lily realises she has accidentally done a terrible thing. Can Lily find a way to get all these cats out of her house and back to their owners? And will Larry accept her apology?

Thursday 5th October

Sadhbh Devlin

Friday 6th October

Kereen Getten

Times: 10am, 11:30, 1pm

Suitable for Junior Infants- 2nd Class Suitable for Junior Infants- 2nd Class Location: Castleblayney Library Location: Clones Library

Times: 10am. 11:30am & 1pm. Is scríbhneoir, a bhfuil gradam buaite aici dá bpictiúirleabhair, í Sadhbh Devlin.

Tá an-éileamh ar na ceardlainne agus imeachtaí leabhair a chuireann sí ar fáil ar fud na tíre. Ainmníodh a leabhar, BEAG BÍDEACH le haghaidh ceithre ghradam

mór le rá, ina measc; Leabhar Pháistí Éireann: Leabhar na Bliana agus Gradam Réics Carló. Bhuaigh an saothair is deireanaí uaithi, GEANSAÍ OTTÓ Gradam

Cumann Litearthachta na hÉireann: Leabhar na Bliana (Catagóir 0-5) i 2021.Is í an Scríbhneoir Cónaithe Gaeilge 2022 le DCU í. Tá cónaí uirthi i gCo.Chill Mhantáin lena fear chéile agus beirt iníon. Is é AMUIGH FAOIN SPÉIR an cheathrú leabhar uaithi le Futa Fata.

Tá Rua breá sásta go bhfuil an deireadh seachtaine ann agus gur féidir leis luí siar ar an tolg le breathnú ar chartúin ar feadh an lae. Tá Mamaí sásta go bhfuil an deireadh seachtaine ann freisin ach tá plean iomlán éagsúl aici siúd don lá. Plean a chiallaíonn go mbeidh siad fuar, fliuch agus salach, dar le Rua. B’fhearr leis féin fanacht te, tirim agus glan - ach an éireoidh leis?

Scéal álainn a dhéanann ceiliúradh ar an domhan nádúrtha agus ar bheith neadaithe go teolaí ar an tolg i ndiaidh eactra mhór amuigh faoin spéir.

Friday 6th October

Location: Online

Suitable for 4th – 6th Class Time: 11:30am

Born in Jamaica, Kereen Getten enjoyed an idyllic Caribbean childhood where she would climb fruit trees in the family garden and eat plentiful amounts of mango, guinep and pear. Her children’s novels draw heavily from these childhood experiences, with her Waterstones Children’s Book Prize-nominated debut When Life Gives You Mangoes (2020) taking the form of a mystery novel as Clara struggles to remember what happened to her during an island storm the previous year. Getten’s second novel If You Read This (2022) revolves around a poignant treasure hunt that Brie’s late mother has set up around her island home, whilst The Case of the Lighthouse Intruder (2023) introduces the Di Island Crew who investigate local mysteries - when they are not getting too distracted.

Kereen will be joining us online to talk about the ‘Di Island Crew’. Fayson has always wanted to be a detective. When her cousins recruit her to their top-secret gang on the island one summer, her dreams seem to be coming true. But the Greatest Gang of All Time don’t live up to their name, and keep getting distracted from missions by things like food, falling asleep and a fair bit of squabbling!

Guided by her favourite mystery novels, Fayson takes charge and tries to track down clues about the strange shadow that has been appearing in the island’s lighthouse. With tensions stirring within the gang, can she use all her smarts to solve the case?

Anna James

Wednesday 11th October

Suitable for 3rd – 6th Class

Location: Online

Time: 11:30

Anna James is the author of the hugely popular ‘Pages & Co.’ 6 book series. She also hosts the ‘Bookwandering’ podcast.

Eleven year-old Tilly has lived above her grandparents’ bookshop ever since her mother disappeared shortly after she was born. Like the rest of her family, Tilly loves nothing more than to escape into the pages of her favourite stories.

One day Tilly realises that classic children’s characters are appearing in the shop through the magic of ‘book wandering’ – crossing over from the page into real life.

With the help of Anne of Green Gables and Alice in Wonderland. Tilly is determined to solve the mystery of what happened to her mother all those years ago, so she bravely steps into the unknown, unsure of what adventure lies ahead and what dangers she may face.

Alex Falase-Koya & Paula Bowles

Thursday 12th October

Suitable for Junior – 1st class

Location: online

Time: 11:30am

Alex (author) and Paula (illustrator) are the creative talent behind the wonderful ‘Marv’ series of adventure books. Alex also co-wrote The Breakfast club series of books with Marcus Rashford! Marvin is an ordinary boy who loves spending time with Grandpa, reading comics, and making science experiments with his best friend Joe. But everything changes when he discovers a mysterious superhero suit hidden in the attic . . . to his amazement, Marvin learns that he is next in a long line of superheroes. Now the time has come to meet his destiny!

When the Science Fair is thrown into chaos by super-villain Mastermind and her giant robot, Marvin is the only one who can stop them. Will Marvin be brave enough to step into his power- and into his superhero suit-to become the great and marvellous superhero Marv?

Alex & Paula will join us for a fun, creative & interactive workshop so grab your pencils & paper and be ready for a SUPER session.

Judi Curtain

Friday 13th October

Suitable for 4th – 6th Class

Location: Online

Time: 11:30am

Judi Curtin has been capturing the imagination of children through books for about 20 years now. You’ll find the library shelves full of books from her Alice and Megan series, the Eva series, the Time After Time series and most recently, the beloved Lily at Lissadell series. We’ve heard that Judi has a new series launching in October about three young girls from rural Ireland emigrating to New York which is inspired by her own grandmother’s emigration story. Join us for this online session and you could be one of the first to hear about it from the author herself.

Alan Nolan

Monday 16th

Suitable for 3rd – 6th class

Tuesday 17th

Suitable for 3rd – 6th class

Location: Monaghan Library Location: Carrickmacross Library

Times: 10am, 11:30am & 1pm Times: 10am, 11:30am & 1pm

Alan Nolan is a force of nature! His energy filled sessions will capture the imagination of any child lucky enough to participate. Alan is the author and illustrator of Fintan’s Fifteen, Conor’s Caveman and the Sam Hannigan series, and is the illustrator of Animal Crackers: Fantastic Facts About Your Favourite Animals, written by Sarah Webb. He’ll be joining us to chat about his latest book ‘Double trouble at the Dead Zoo’. Dublin, 1859

Bram Stoker: Boy seeking adventure (and things to write about)

Molly Malone: Part-time sneak thief and full-time Dublin legend!

When Bram and his best pal Molly meet a lonely boy called Sanjit in Dublin’s Natural History Museum, they can see he needs some friends. So they, along with Molly’s gang,

The Sackville Street Spooks, take him under their wing.

Sanjit tells them the tale of the dread (and very dead) pirate, Captain Lamprey and his links to the Museum. Soon the new shipmates find themselves outwitting vagabonds and villains, hot on the trail of a mysterious long-lost treasure … the Rajapur Ruby! But little do they know that not everyone they come across is who they claim to be!

Gerry Daly

Wed 18th October: Location: Castleblayney Library

Suitable for: Junior to 3rd Class Times: 10:45, 12pm & 1:20pm

Gerry Daly is a seasoned children’s author and illustrator. His previous books include the best-selling Where Are You, Puffling?, Puffling and the Egg, Wee Donkey’s Treasure Hunt written by Erika McGann and shortlisted for a prestigious LAI Award, and an Irish language edition of ‘Puffling’ - Cá Bhfuil Puifín Beag?, translated by Muireann Ní Chíobháin. His newest picture book is a brand-new story starring the beloved Puffling, called It’s Too Dark, Puffling. Written by Erika McGann and beautifully illustrated by Gerry, it was published in September and has a great ‘don’t be afraid of the dark’ message.

A kind little puffling lives on Skellig Michael. She loves her cosy underground bed. But her smaller puffling friend is afraid of the dark. Can the animals of Skellig help her show him the wonder of nighttime?

Puffling lives on Skellig Michael, and she loves her cosy underground nest. But her little puffling friend is too afraid to sleep in his burrow – ‘I don’t like the dark. It’s too dark in the dark.’ So Puffling takes him to visit a playful rabbit, a happy crab, a friendly blue shark, and many other animals on Skellig. Each one tells the little puffling what they love most about the dark. Can Puffling convince her little friend not to be afraid?

Katie Cottle

Thursday 19th October

Suitable Junior – 2nd Class

Location: Online

Time: 11:30

Katie is an illustrator and picture-book-maker living and working in Bristol, UK. Katie enjoys telling stories through her drawing and use a variety of media, including a mix of traditional and digital techniques. Katie explores themes of climate action & sustainability through beautiful illustrations. Omar, The Bees and Me encourages children to look after nature in local communities planting wildflowers to form bee corridors. Themes around cultural identity are also explored through Omar (a new boy from Syria) and Maisie’s friendship.

The Blue Giant, shortlisted for the 2021 Waterstone’s book Prize is a poignant and timely picture book that introduces children to the issues of pollution, waste management and the oceans, with suggestions of lifestyle changes to help the world become a better, cleaner place.

Meera and her mum are enjoying a break at the seaside. Until a creature emerges from the waves. It’s a giant. A blue giant. It has a stirring plea to help clean up the ocean and save the sea creatures from the menace of plastic waste.

Meera and her mum agree to help. But they can’t do it alone... can they?

Friday 20th October

Suitable for Junior to 2nd Class*

The Big QuBookiz The Big QuBookiz ???

Register now

Location: Online

Time: 11:30

You may know that Monaghan County Libraries have been working hard to ensure children with Dyslexia are able to enjoy stories and reading as much as everyone else. So, when we came across the colourful story ‘Thunder Boots’ we knew we had to include it in our book festival. We are delighted to welcome author Naomi Jones & Illustrator Rebecca Ashdown for an interactive online session. Naomi is dyslexic herself and has written this book based on her own experiences in school.

Rebecca will be hosting a Draw-along so have paper and colours at the ready! Here’s a little more about ‘Thunderboots’:

Trixie is the smallest person in Primrose Tower, but also the loudest and the building’s residents have given her an affectionate nickname: THUNDERBOOTS. When it’s time for Trixie to start school, she is very excited. Sometimes it’s hard to concentrate in class, though. And it’s really hard to read letters. Maybe what Trixie needs is a superpowered plan. An empowering story about starting school with dyslexia that celebrates everyone’s differences.

*Thunderboots is aimed at younger age groups but older classes are welcome too to learn about Dyslexia.

for a chance to win a €250 book voucher to update your classroom library.

Work together as a classroom to choose the correct answer from a multiple choice selection – but be quick because bonus points are awarded for fastest finger first!.

To register a team and receive the code to join in online at myquiz.org simply email: cbf@monaghancoco.ie

Naomi Jones & Rebecca Ashdown

Comhairle Chontae Mhuineachaín Monaghan County Council