Should we censor our kids’ books – or give them the freedom to read whatever they choose? Andrea Mara turns to the experts

Diverse and exciting writing talent has been shortlisted across 14 categories for the Bord Gáis Energy Irish Book Awards.

A mix of the old and the new are among the books, plays, and films that young teens can study for the first Junior Cycle Student Award in 2017.

It’s readers to the ready this month, as MS Ireland prepares to kick-start its annual Readathon.

Some of the country’s top authors will descend on Waterford City next month to impart their knowledge and stories.

POET Seamus Heaney has won a lifetime achievement award for his contribution to Irish literature.

SLEEPY ME by Marni McGee, illustrated by Cee Biscoe (Little Tiger; €7.10 padded cover). From reading a book with his Daddy, we follow Baby Bear’s bed routine from brushing teeth to bidding good night to the moon and stars and into cosy bed. With simple rhyming text and wonderful illustrations, this is a loveable bedtime treat for toddlers.

THERE’S been a surge of teenage fiction by established Irish authors of late. And it seems a natural diversion for Denise Deegan, who has published four well-received novels for adults.