New Irish Children’s Book Releases to Look Out For in the Coming Months
Published 31/01/2025
With an abundance of great Irish children’s books already lined up for publication this year, we’re bringing you a little spotlight on just some of the books that young readers will be able to enjoy in the coming months.
Eoinín ag an Siopa, Muireann Ní Chíobhaín agus Róisín Hahessy
Tá Eoinín ag an siopa! Tá tralaí uaidh agus caithfidh sé é a thiomáint go cúramach timpeall an tsiopa lena chuid siopadóireacht ar fad a dhéanamh. An féidir leat cabhrú leis a chuid earraí ar fad a fháil? Is é seo an cúigiú leabhar sa tsraith Eoinín. Foilsíodh an ceathrú leabhar, Bearradh Gruaige d’Eoinín, i mí Dheireadh Fómhair 2024 agus is cinnte go bhfuil an scéilín seo chomh spraíúil céanna leis an gceann sin agus leis na trí cinn eile: Eoinín, Eoinín ag dul a Chodladh agus Eoinín agus a Chairde.
Little Eoinín is going shopping! He needs to get a trolley and then carefully steer it around the supermarket so that he can get all of the items on his shopping list. Can you help? A full-colour board book with lots of interactive elements to keep young readers engaged. This is the fifth book in the Eoinín series. The fourth, Bearradh Gruaige d’Eoinín, was published in October 2024. Eoinín, Eoinín ag dul a Chodladh and Eoinín agus a Chairde complete the series.
Age guideline: 0 – 4
Published by Futa Fata in February
Wild Eyes by Bex Sheridan
A little girl really wants to see her plants grow, so she spends her days outside, helping them. Observing her every move is the Little Watcher, a mysterious wild animal hidden in the hedges, whose initial uncertainty gives way to admiration for the girl’s quiet wisdom. This beautiful and heartwarming new picture book subtly teaches children about the importance of caring for the planet. Young readers are invited to step into the quiet magic of a little girl’s garden, where her small, thoughtful actions, in the face of challenges she faces along the way, ripple outward to make a meaningful difference.
Age guideline: 3 – 6
Published by Natural World Publishing in March
Let’s Play Rugby! by Gordon D’Arcy and Paul Howard. Illustrated by Ashwin Chacko
It’s the big final. Are you ready to help your team win? Do you have what it takes?! This super fun and dynamic new book, by a rugby legend, best-selling author and award-winning illustrator, puts the reader right in the middle of the action, in the boots of a young player navigating a rugby match. Readers are invited to throw the book over their head for a line-out, push against the opposition pack in the scrum, and weave their fingers through players to score a try. The reading experience may also involve jogging on the spot and doing star jumps!
Age guideline: 4 – 6
Published by Little Island Books in February
The Lost Treasure of Clew Bay by Sarah Kilcoyne
A beautifully illustrated debut immersing young readers in a world of nature and adventure. Saoirse is visiting her grandad in rural Mayo when he tells her the story of a legendary pirate queen’s lost treasure, supposedly hidden in nearby Clew Bay. Inspired to search for it, she and Grandad’s dog Nessa take out the rowing boat and have an adventure around the islands, encountering various creatures along the way! Inspired by the author’s own childhood holidays in Mayo, featuring stunning watercolour spreads of peachy west-coast sunsets, stormy Atlantic seas and lush countryside hills, every page offers a nostalgic glimpse of the magic sprinkled along Ireland’s coastline.
Age guideline: 5+
Published by Gill Books in March
Giant by Judith McQuoid
A captivating new historical fiction inspired by the Belfast childhood of Narnia author CS Lewis, capturing his world of imagination and adventure. Davy, a working-class boy living in East Belfast in 1908, is sent to work at the wealthy Lewis household. When he meets Jacks – the name by which CS Lewis was known to friends and family – Davy is captivated by his friend’s world of books and stories. Together the boys plunge into imagining and adventuring, and Davy discovers his own artistic talent. But when life pulls them in different directions, will they lose their extraordinary shared world forever?
Age guideline: 9 – 11
Published by Little Island Books in March
The Case of the Secret Signal by Brian Gallagher
A gripping tale of kidnapping, adventure and daring rescues, drawing readers back to Dublin in 1911. In a wealthy part of town, Isobel Forsyth, a feisty schoolgirl from a powerful family, is kidnapped by criminals and kept prisoner in a remote farm on the Cooley Peninsula. Determined to fight back, she secretly sends out an SOS. Twins Tim and Deirdre, and their friend Joe, are on holidays at Aunt Helen’s farm, outside the village of Carlingford. When the friends stumble across the crime, they’re ready for on another adventure. But trying to rescue to Isobel is more challenging than they expect! Unsure who they can trust, and with their own lives in danger, the children risk everything to save Isobel.
Age guideline: 9+
Published by The O’Brien Press in March
Féile! A Twin Power Adventure by Emma Larkin
The Power twins are back with a brand new sporting adventure! Aoife and Aidan Power love playing Gaelic Football. Together, they’re so skilful and fast their friends call them ‘Twin Power’. This time around, they would love nothing more than to play at the famous Féile Gaelic Football Competition. With old football rivalries stronger than ever and new ones emerging, can they make their dream come true?
Age guideline: 9+
Published by The O’Brien Press in May
Tales of Darkisle 1: Conn of the Dead by Dave Rudden, illustrated by Ali Al Amine
In trouble once again, 11-year-old Conn is sent home from school. Picked up by his professor aunt Doireann, she takes him to her office in UCD’s National Folklore Collection on the way home. Surrounded by old books and artefacts, it’s only a matter of time before Conn puts a foot wrong… Intrigued by a case marked ‘hazardous’, he opens it to reveal the ancient skull of the Abhartach, an undead sorcerer of terrible might. In doing so, he releases the monster, and a terrifying chase through the university ensues, as the bodiless sorcerer hunts Conn through every piece of technology it can find. Can Conn defeat the Abhartach before it regains its true power?
Age guideline: 9 – 11
Published by Gill Books in April
These are just some of the captivating Irish books for young readers to look out for over the coming months. Stay tuned as we bring you more about the best in Irish writing and publishing in 2025, and don’t forget to follow your favourite authors, illustrators and publishers online to hear their news first as they have it.