Children's book reviews: 12 books for April with Children's Books Ireland

Inspiring books this month will take children on a wild adventure

This month, Children’s Books Ireland will be hosting a ‘Whole Wild World’ bus tour.

April brings us a month of hopeful stories to keep us inspired; stories of fresh starts, new experiences and venturing out to see what adventures the world can offer us. 

There are stories of first trips to restaurants, writing your first book, hunting giants, transformations, animations, taking flight, and learning to live authentically.

The team at Children’s Books Ireland will also be venturing out into the world this April along with our Laureate na nÓg Patricia Forde, on the ‘Whole Wild World’ bus tour of Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way. 

The tour will bring 35 children’s authors and illustrators from Malin Head to Mizen Head with plenty of stops to schools, theatres, bookshops and cultural venues along the way.

Follow the tour using #WholeWildWorld on social media channels — you never know, there might be a stop near you.

Our World: Ireland by Muireann Ní Chíobháin, illustrated by Fuchsia MacAree (Barefoot Books)

Let’s spend a day in Ireland! Part of the ‘Our World’ series, we follow a brother and sister as they head out onto their farm, play some hurling, and make a wish on a rainbow. A simple boardbook showcasing traditional life in Ireland, the colourful illustrations have a nostalgic feel and are peppered throughout with a cúpla focal as Gaeilge. A gorgeous gift for a first visit to Ireland, or for any homesick Irish abroad. (2+)

Zeki Eats Out by Anna McQuinn, illustrated by Ruth Hearson (Alanna Max Books)

Zeki, Dad, and Nana-G are headed out for lunch, but can Zeki and Mr Seahorse learn to behave themselves in the restaurant? Hearson’s illustrations foreground the warmth of the family unit alongside McQuinn’s soothing procedural writing, making this a useful resource for little ones (and parents) who are adjusting to eating in restaurants, or outside of the home. (3+)

The Library Mouse by Frances Tosdevin and Sophia O’Connor (UClan Publishing)

Quill is a little mouse with a big dream: To one day be a writer and share his stories with everyone. Having completed his debut book, he tries very hard to share his story with visitors to the library, but too quiet and too small, he goes unnoticed until a helpful cleaner with a hearing aid, finally picks up his mouse’s squeak. A cosy and encouraging story, aspiring authors will be charmed by this tale of creative perseverance. (4+)

Here Be Giants by Susannah Lloyd, illustrated by Paddy Donnelly (Frances Lincoln Children’s Books)

Sheer silliness, it is impossible to read this book with a straight face. Sir Aethelbald the Senseless has set off on a most perilous quest, determined to hunt down the fearsome brute who has descended a beanstalk. Accompanied by his noble steed and a guidebook, it is unfortunate that the hapless Knight’s powers of observation are severely lacking. Begging to be read aloud, Lloyd’s comical use of archaic language paired with Donnelly’s expertise at hiding visual clues within illustrations make for a laugh-out-loud storytime session. (5+)

Petite Poems: Hope is the Thing with Feathers by Emily Dickinson, illustrated by Tatyana Feeney (Cameron Kids)

Poetry fans often have a place in their heart for Emily Dickinson’s most beloved poem, ‘Hope is the Thing with Feathers’, and as part of the ‘Petite Poems’ series from Cameron Kids, her work is now reimagined as a picturebook for younger readers. Instantly recognisable, Tatyana Feeney’s signature watercolour and patchwork style soften Dickinson’s familiar poem, making it an approachable and understandable rhyme for younger readers. (6+)

Agent Harrier: This Book will Self Destruct by Ben Sanders (Little Tiger)

Warning: Someone has planted a bomb between the pages of this book, it is likely to self-destruct at any moment, unless agent Harrier can locate the bomb and unmask the bad guy before the book goes BOOM. A self-aware graphic novel, even the most reluctant of readers will find this story engaging with its playful use of fonts, puns, and jokes aplenty that poke fun at the very structure of the book. (7+)

Dinosaur Pie by Jen Wallace, illustrated by Alan O’Rourke (Little Island Books)

A debut for both author and illustrator, this madcap adventure will appeal to reluctant readers as Rory’s teatime treat of dinosaur pie results in an unexpected transformation. Now with an insatiable desire to eat sausages and unable to hold a pen in school, Rory along with his friends Daria and Oleg, launch Operation: Make Rory Human Again. An accessible and fun read, O’Rourke’s illustrations capture the confusion and fun that ensues as Rory tries to navigate the world in dinosaur form. (8+)

Puppet by David Almond, illustrated by Lizzy Stewart (Walker Books)

With Silvester’s life work as a puppet master over and his puppets consigned to a museum exhibition, he decides to make one last puppet, who, much to Silvester’s surprise, takes him by the hand and leads him out into the world. A touching story of how the wonder of creativity connects us through community. This is a lovely intergenerational story that will have you reaching for the tissues. (9+)

A Sycamore Hill Mystery: The Tower Ghost by Natasha Mac a’Bháird (The O’Brien Press)

The first in a new boarding-school series set in Donegal in the 1960s, when Clare wins a scholarship to the prestigious Sycamore Hill, she imagines adjusting to a new school will involve making new friends and getting to grips with homework, and certainly not trying to solve the murder of a mysterious ghost haunting the north tower. Fans of a good boarding school mystery story will be more than satisfied with this series opener that has all the hallmarks of a comforting Blyton story while simultaneously building to a tense and gripping thriller. (11+)

Starminster by Megan Hopkins (HarperCollins)

Confined by her mother to a rhubarb shed for her entire life, Astrid’s dreams of one day seeing the stars become a reality when she is rescued by the winged Mrs Wairi. Taken to the hidden magical world of London Overhead, populated by winged people called Librae, Astrid enrols in Starminster school to take her place in the Librae world. A striking debut with strong worldbuilding that echoes real-world issues on equality, Starminster is an adventure story with real depth. (12+)

Homebody by Theo Parish (Macmillan)

Based on the true experiences of the author/illustrator, Theo is on a journey of gender self-discovery. Spanning childhood into early adolescence, Theo’s exploration of their non-binary identity captured in the navies, pinks, and purples of this graphic novel explain that transition is a process of continually coming home to your true self. An inspiring story of self-acceptance and living authentically, this is a great book for nonbinary teens seeking to see their identity reflected in a book. (13+)

The Boy Next Door by Jenny Ireland (Penguin)

Finbar and Molly spent most of their childhood together, but that’s in the past now that Fin is a social outcast at school, and Molly has a carefully crafted reputation for being perfect, polished, and popular. But when Molly’s life changes with a sudden brain injury, surprisingly it’s Fin, the boy next door, who helps her to pick up the pieces of her life and learn what truly matters. Exploring themes of love, loss, recovery, and parental relationships, Jenny Ireland manages to strike the balance once again between difficult subject matter and the rush of first love. (14+)

Ruth Concannon is the publications officer for Children’s Books Ireland, the national charity and arts organisation that champions every child’s right to develop a love of reading. 

Its mission is to inspire a love of reading in children and young people in Ireland, to share expertise and enthusiasm with the adults who guide and influence them, to champion every child’s right to excellent books and live literature events and support the artists who make that goal possible across the island of Ireland.

• See childrensbooksireland.ie for more