20 children’s books and podcasts for curious young minds
Keep their minds engaged over the summer with these thoughtful podcasts and books
It’s no wonder the big, wide world seems a little scary, especially for children so young that they can just about remember what life was like before the pandemic. This story about a stay-at-home bunny who is anxious about going on his first adventure is a heart-warming, funny, reassuring picture book, perfect for pre-schoolers.
Take a little witch whose spells are mixed up and add a powerful wizard’s wand. What do you get? Trouble! A funny story, with lively illustrations; great for emerging readers.
Revisit Sesame Street and introduce your children to Elmo, the Cookie Monster, and all the gang. These short episodes teach about patience and sharing, with catchy songs thrown in. If the children like it, there are colouring pages, videos, and educational games on the Sesame Street website.
Has any parent escaped Cosmic Kids and Jamie in the past year? Probably not. And while the colours and sounds can be annoying to adult eyes and ears, these yoga and mindfulness videos are deserving of the hype, not just capturing the attention of little eyes and ears, but getting them to stretch, move, and pay attention in a wonderful way. There are age-appropriate themes, too, from Pokémon to Goldilocks — and even bedtime yoga.
This illustrated book by Charlie Mackesy is becoming a modern classic, depicting the unlikely friendships between the four animal protagonists. It is a beautiful tale about love and courage, loneliness and hope, suitable for ages from 7 or 8 and up.
Learn some Punjabi, find out how people from different cultures celebrate midwinter, and hear what children who speak two or more languages have to say about words and their cultures. This RTÉ podcast series is a lovely introduction to modern Ireland and its many different families and languages, presented by children and their families.
Meet the gigglers — little creatures who take revenge on adults who are mean to children. This book does what it says on the tin and is sure to provoke both giggling and belly laughs.
For readers aged 8-12, or to be read aloud for younger, primary-school-age children.
n Teach Your Kids) — Kunak McGann (The O’Brien Press)
Kerbs, conkers, tip the can... Which was your favourite game as a child? Take a trip down memory lane and bring your children with you. This book features all the classics, the rules, the risk ratings, and more.
The 13-Storey Treehouse and its sequels are wonderfully weird and wacky and hugely popular with primary-school children. There’s a giant catapult, a secret, underground laboratory, and a tank of man-eating sharks. What more could you want from a book?
The book that became an instant best-seller is now available as a podcast. The short episodes introduce you to inspiring women, such as Rosa Parks and Malala Yousafzai, and make for great chats with growing children about the world’s injustices and the ways in which people can make a difference.
No children’s book list is complete without a Roald Dahl book or two. Boy is different, in that it’s an autobiography, but still with all the charm and quirks we’ve come to expect of the author — and complete, as usual, with wonderful illustrations by Quentin Blake. Expect everything from African adventures and school bullies to a chocolate-factory tasting.
This book tells the story of Olympian and world champion runner Sonia O’Sullivan, from Cobh, in Co Cork, all the way to the Olympic Games — a great read for sport-loving girls, or for any athletic child in your life.
From basketball tricks to core training and indoor workouts, the PE sessions on Home School Hub, with Emer O’Neill, are still available and are still perfect for working off some energy after too many hours stuck inside on a rainy day.
Find them on YouTube or on the RTÉ Player and get the whole family to join in!
This book, by advocate, activist, teacher, and writer, Sinéad Burke, is all about believing in yourself, using your voice, and finding your place in the world. A powerful book for any pre-teen or teenager who is hard at work figuring out who they are.
If you want to raise a rebel or just have a child who has an interest in history or politics, get The Making of Mollie, a wonderful piece of historical fiction set in Dublin.
Follow 14-year-old Drumcondra native Mollie, as she sets out to bring some excitement into her life, discovers that her sister is a secret suffragette, and ends up joining the movement.
‘I was ten years old when my parents were killed by pirates. This did not bother me as much as you might think — I hardly knew my parents.’ These are the opening lines of The Extremely Inconvenient Adventures of Bronte Mettlestone, which was one of my daughter’s favourite books in recent months.
It’s about Bronte’s quest to carry out the instructions left to her in her parents’ will. There is magic, adventure, some tension, much humour, and a lot of fun. And, happily, there are also two other books by Jaclyn Moriarty, featuring some of the same characters — The Stolen Prince of Cloudburst, and The Slightly Alarming Tale of the Whispering Wars.”
“I picked this up recently for my nine-year-old, and when he resisted starting it at first (because it’s not a book in any of the series he usually reads), I read the first two chapters to him. It worked: He was hooked. The two of us laughed out loud at the narrator’s frustration with having a name that belongs (in his words) to an 80-year-old or a dog, and wondered how a 12-year-old would end up robbing a bank.
“It’s set in Ireland, which really appealed to my son, too. I love walking past his room at night, hearing him chuckling away as he reads. He’s nearly finished the book, and gives it ‘five out of five stars’.”
“My 12-year-old heard about this series from a friend at school and decided to give it a go. She absolutely loved the first book, and the good news is, there are nine books in the series, and they are very, very big books — 800 pages apiece.
“Any parent who struggles to find new reading material for kids will understand the joy of a substantial series.
“The books are about Sophie, a 12-year-old with a secret, and Fitz, a mysterious boy who appears in her life. They’re fantasy adventure and good for — according to my daughter — fans of Harry Potter and of The School for Good and Evil.”
“My two daughters, ages 7 and 4, are huge book lovers and even let me read some of mine to them on occasion. We love reading new and old classics, but the one we return to constantly is Busy, Busy World, by Richard Scarry. They roar laughing at many of the stories and it is jam-packed with detail. It was my own absolute favourite as a child, so it’s a joy to read these hilarious stories as an adult, with fresh eyes.”
“This summer, we have returned to another favourite, called Sam and Dave Dig a Hole, by author Mac Barnett and illustrator Jon Klassen. It’s a brilliant, beautifully illustrated, funny book, with a startling surprise ending.”
