Harry Potter casts reading spell on children

WIZARD Harry Potter has boosted the popularity of reading among children so much that Irish authors are producing books on everything from ancient legends to asylum seekers to meet the demand.

In a bid to honour the best books aimed at children, nine books were short-listed yesterday for the Bisto Book of the Year.

The judging panel said the nine entries were of excellent quality, but described recent funding cuts for children’s literature as worrying. “We pay lip service to children, their physical and imaginative needs, but in times of financial cuts they become a first and relatively easy target,” said the panel chair, Celia Keenan.