Book festival to fuel young imaginations

CHILDREN are flocking to libraries across the county this week and will continue to do so over the month of October, as the Children’s Book Festival 2012 gets underway.

Up to 100 events to spark the imagination of young readers from toddlers to teens will take place across the county in local libraries with authors, illustrators and storytellers sharing their knowledge and experience with Clare’s young people.

 

Headlining this year’s festival in the county are authors Marita Conlon McKenna, who wrote the Children of the Famine trilogy, and Derek Landy, who will be celebrating the publication of the latest title in his Skulduggery Pleasant series, Kingdom of the Wicked.

Skulduggery Pleasant is a wise-cracking detective, powerful magician and master of dirty tricks and burglary, all in the name of the greater good. He is also an ally, protector and mentor of Stephanie Edgely, a very unusual and darkly talented 12-year-old.

Derek was in Newmarket-on-Fergus, Ennis, Shannon and Miltown Malbay libraries in 2007 and returns this year to Glór.

Meanwhile, Marita is one of Ireland’s most famous and best-selling writers. Her trilogy, Children of the Famine, has been translated into many languages, while the first book in the series, Under the Hawthorn Tree, has become a national classic.

Both authors will make a one-off visit to Glór Theatre in Ennis this month. Derek will be there on Thursday, October 11 at 11am, while Marita will speak on Monday, October 15 at 11am.

Other visiting authors to library branches include Alan Early, who has been hailed as the Irish Percy Jackson. Set in Dublin, his Arthur Quinn series has enjoyed much critical acclaim.

Alan will be in Kilrush library next Monday at 10.30am and thereafter in Kilkee library at 1.30pm. He will speak at Killaloe Library at 10.30am next Tuesday and thereafter in Scariff library at 1pm. His talks are suitable for fourth, fifth and sixth classes.

Author and illustrator Alan Nolan will also be in the county, showcasing his graphic whodunits for 10 to 14-year-olds, which include The Big Break Detectives Casebook, Death by Chocolate and Six Million Ways to Die.

He will be in Ennistymon library on Thursday, October 18 at 11am and in Miltown Malbay library thereafter at 1pm. He will speak at Shannon library on Friday, October 19 at 11am and in Newmarket-on-Fergus library at 1pm the same day.

Nicola Pierce will give four readings based on her novel, Spirit of the Titanic, now in its fifth reprint since publication last year. Her presentation for senior classes in libraries on the phenomenon that Titanic has become 100 years after its sinking includes an insight into how she wrote and researched the book, providing a sample of the many photographs that inspired her novel.

Nicola will be in the DeValera Library in Ennis on Thursday at 10.15am and in Sixmilebridge library the same day at 1.30pm. Her talks are suitable for fourth, fifth and sixth classes.

Michel Moylan’s Irish History Live will present an interactive show to his audiences on the making of Titanic, how it was powered, the class system on board, how the ship sank and more.

Other visiting authors include Laoise Ní Chomhraí, who will bring her unique selection of junior travel books written in the Irish language to children in Clare. She will be in Newmarket-on-Fergus library at 11am and Sixmilebridge library at 1pm on Thursday, October 25. She will speak at Miltown Malbay library at 10.15am and Lisdoonvarna library at 1pm on Friday, October 26. Laoise’s talk is open to first and second classes.

Storytellers Niall de Burca and Pat Ryan are regular performers at Clare’s Children’s Book Festival and this year is no different. They will entertain audiences of all ages with their folktales, myths and legends, riddles, rhymes and proverbs from all around the world.

Niall will be in Sixmilebridge library at 1.45pm, Shannon library at 4.30pm and DeValera Library, Ennis at 7pm on Wednesday, October 17. Pat will be in Corofin library at 10am, the DeValera Library at 11.30am and in Tulla library at 2pm on Thursday, October 25. He will also entertain at Kilmihil library at 11am and at Kildysart library at 1pm on Friday, October 26. His talk is for junior and senior infants.

Hands-on workshops facilitated by experienced artists are always a feature of the festival and this year, participants will be offered their choice of workshops from percussion to journal writing with Isabelle Gaborit, to story-creation workshops with Donough O’Malley.

Visual artist and co-founder of Dog and String Theatre, Sarah Fuller will also be on hand to guide children in making their very own animated film show based on characters they will create on paper.

Competitions running this year include the incredibly popular O’Brien Press Cover Design Competition, which gives budding designers the opportunity to have their artwork featured on the cover of a professionally published book.

Aspiring writers will also have a chance to enter a writing competition in association with Little Island. For a full programme of events and details of competitions being run for Children’s Books Festival, visit www.childrensbooksireland.ie. Information on events at local libraries are available at www.clarelibrary.ie.

Events are planned specifically for school audiences and teachers are advised to book classes in early to avoid disappointment.