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Maggie O’Farrell and debut author Ellen Ryan were among the winners at this year’s KPMG Children’s Books Ireland Awards, held at a ceremony in Merrion Square as part of International Literature Festival Dublin.
A total prize-fund of €16,000 (£13,900) has been awarded to this year’s winners, whose works include an illustrated retelling of Cinderella as Gaeilge; an anthology of unsung stories about Ireland’s mythical goddesses; a mischievous mystery for younger readers; a colourful adventure tale of bravery and friendship; and a supernatural page-turner for ages nine and up, drawing on the darker side of Irish folklore.
Girls Who Slay Monsters (HarperCollins Ireland), written by Ryan and illustrated by Shona Shirley Macdonald won both the KPMG Book of the Year Award and the KPMG Junior Juries’ Award, which is voted for by thousands of young readers across Ireland.
O’Farrell scooped the Honour Award for Fiction for The Boy Who Lost His Spark, illustrated by Daniela Jaglenka Tarrazzini (Walker Books), while Steve McCarthy triumphed in the Honour Award for Illustration with The Wilderness (Walker Books). Alex Dunne took the Eilís Dillon Award for Best Debut with The Book of Secrets (The O’Brien Press), while the Judge’s Special Award went to An Slipéar Gloine written by debut children’s author Fearghas Mac Lochlainn and illustrated by Paddy Donnelly (Futa Fata).
Speaking at today’s ceremony, Elaina Ryan, c.e.o. of Children’s Books Ireland, said: “Our congratulations to every one of the authors, illustrators and publishers celebrating their wins today. Through our KPMG Junior Juries programme, we have seen the wonder and delight that these six books have inspired in young readers across Ireland, and it is a joy to recognise and reward the artists that created them at this level.
“Ireland has always been a nation of storytellers, and every one of these winners exemplifies the sheer excellence visible in contemporary Irish children’s books. As we celebrate another year of the KPMG Children’s Book Awards, we hope that today’s celebrations encourage them to keep creating stories that speak as powerfully to their readers as these.”