Books by Zepf and Jordan revealed for World Book Day in Ireland

World Book Day 2023 in Ireland will feature books by Alma Jordan and Máire Zepf.

Hazel Tree Farm: One Stormy Night by Jordan and illustrated by Margaret Anne Suggs (The O’Brien Press) and Rita agus an Dragún by Zepf, illustrated by Andrew Whitson (An tSnáthaid Mhór) have been chosen as €1.50/£1 token books for next year’s celebration.

Children’s Books Ireland and Foras ne Gaeilge, a public body responsible for the promotion of the Irish language have teamed up with the organisers for next year’s event.

Elaina Ryan, c.e.o of Children’s Books Ireland, saying: “World Book Day is already a key fixture in schools’ calendars as a celebration of books and reading. What we want to see in 2023 is a much broader reach so that every child is included in the celebrations. This World Book Day will be a shared celebration of the pleasure of reading a brilliant book, and the joy that that can give young readers.”

For the first time next year, both Irish World Book Day €1.50/£1 titles will also be available in braille and digital formats, thanks to support from National Council for the Blind Ireland (NCBI).

Seán Ó Coinn, c.e.o. of Foras na Gaeilge. said the organisation was “delighted to be supporting World Book Day Ireland with the inclusion of an Irish-language book for the second year in a row”. It said it would be including even more Irish-language materials and resources for World Book Day 2023, including the development of bilingual information packs and book tokens for schools, as well as the inclusion of Irish-language free audiobooks from An Gúm, Foras na Gaeilge’s in-house publisher.

“We are thrilled that the Irish language will be at the heart of the campaign in Ireland, on the World Book Day Ireland website, across social media channels and that the Irish-language title, Rita agus An Dragún will be available in braille and digital formats for the first time ever in 2023, thanks to our friends at NCBI.”

Cassie Chadderton, c.e.o. of World Book Day, added: "Our aim as a charity is to encourage all children to love reading, see themselves as readers and ultimately, improve their life chances. This is even more important at a time when the cost of living crisis is set to damage access to books and reading for thousands of children. The announcement of our £1/€1.50 World Book Day books is always an exciting moment and we’re proud to present these books for 2023 from a wonderful range of authors and illustrators.”