Fallen Star Stories

This year marks the anniversary of the publication of an extraordinary book. In 1991, Poolbeg published The Summer of Lily & Esme by John Quinn and in the 25 years since, it has never been out of print. The Summer of Lily & Esme tells a quiet story, filled with compassion, friendship, memory and heart. It is the story of Alan, an 11-year-old boy who has moved from the city into a house in the countryside; in the middle of nowhere.The house is old and extremely large and immaculate; and there is a locked, boarded over attic room that is said to be haunted by the ghost of a young boy who died tragically. Alan is not too pleased with this move and becomes even less thrilled when he discovers his closest neighbours, in fact his only neighbours, are a pair of elderly sisters, Esme and Lily, who seem to be suffering from dementia.  When Alan falls down a hill of brambles and weeds, the sisters, who believe they themselves to be children, mistake Alan for th...

The Astrid Lindgren Memorial award is presented each year. This is the largest international award for children and young adult literature in the world, indicating the importance of reading by children and young people in their lives. The total (SEK 5 million) is set to inspire and encourage anyone involved in childrens writing to strive for purpose and quality. The award is given to authors, illustrators, storytellers and reading promoters. It may be presented to a single laureate, or to several and is given regardless of language or nationality. It is administered by the Swedish Arts Council and is named in honour of the amazing author, Astrid Lindgren, who gave the world such important childrens works as Ronia, the Robbers Daughter, Mio, My Son and, of course, Pippi Longstocking. The Astrid Lindgren laureate for 2016 has been announced as Meg Rosoff. Meg Rosoff made her debut in 2004 with the powerful dystopian novel, How I Live Now, the story of a young woman, Daisy from New...

IBBY (International Board on Books for Young People) announced the winners of the 2016 Hans Christian Andersen awards on 4th April. I look forward to this event every time. Their longlists are always extensive, covering childrens authors/illustrators worldwide. It gives us a reminder of the  rich and varied landscape in childrens literature, showing the concerns and similarities of the lives of children across the globe. When we view the shortlists, we are seeing the creme de la creme in childrens publishing, not simply in our own national or regional area, but everywhere....quite literally. It aids in a better communication and understanding of ourselves as human beings. The Hans Christian Andersen Award is consider the Nobel Prize for childrens writing and illustration. Always a truly fascinating experience. The shortlists for this years' award came from such places as Iran, Denmark, Korea, and the USA. It's probably best just to show you, Short List: Illustration: ...

So many books! As I said previously, there have been a lot of really wonderful books out lately. It's difficult to get them all in. But here are a few more you really should read. A little something for everyone here. In no particular order: Rain author/illustrator: Sam Usher Templar (April 2016) ISBN: 9781783705474 Sam and Grandpa are trapped indoors by the pouring rain. Sam drinks hot chocolate and reads his books while waiting for the rain to stop. But Grandpa has a very important letter to post and can't let the rain and flooding stop him! So, off they go! Once outside, with no end to the horrible weather in sight, marvelous adventure ensues. Very thoughtful and a great deal of fun, this is the follow-up to Snow and one of four picture books based on the weather. Beautiful illustrations and heart-felt observations on the relationship between grandparent and grandchild, Rain is utterly wonderful and very poignant! A great picture book for sharing. Eliza Rose aut...