The Festive Season is More Magical with Irish Children’s Books
From Santa’s sleigh breaking down over Phoenix Park to prehistoric snow deer – Irish children’s books make the countdown uniquely festive
Frost creeping up the window, the first tin of Jacob’s biscuits, the coloured lights blinking from shops on a dark night – there’s nothing so magical as the countdown to Christmas. And in the midst of cleaning, shopping, cooking and parties, it’s also the perfect time for you and your family to snuggle up with a story – especially one rooted in Irish traditions.
Discover Irish Kids’ Books – from Irish fairies trying to save Christmas, and messers from Cork almost cancelling it, to adventures with an Irish snow deer, and a game of GAA with Santa. See how these tales offer more than quiet in the chaos or jolly company on long Nollaig nights – they’re also a special way for families to share in the deeper meanings of the season, like belief, hope, helping others, and a good sprinkling of magic.
Time to make your choice, break out those biscuits, and get cosy.
Nollaig shona dhaoibh!
3+
Julianne McKeigue illustrated by Brian Fitzgerald – ‘Twas the Match Before Christmas (O’Brien Press)
‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through Croke Park, It was quiet and peaceful; the great pitch was dark …But not for long! As the clock strikes midnight, there’s a magical surprise: Santa, his elves and reindeer arrive for a night of mischief, mayhem and football.
NEW! Eoin O’Brien illustrated by Audrey Dowling – Flossie McFluff Saves Christmas (The O’Brien Press)
Christmas is coming and the animals in the wood are getting excited. Flossie McFluff, the feisty forest fairy, is busy making her wee house look jolly. But when a storm blows in, the river rises … Burrows are flooded, and the creatures have nowhere to sleep. Can Flossie help her friends find somewhere safe before a special visitor comes their way?
Annie Atkins illustrated by Fia Tobing – Letters from the North Pole (Magic Cat Publishing)
Five children from around the world write to Santa Claus with ideas for Christmas gifts and are amazed when he writes back! Discover five letters from Santa that children can pull out and read. In each letter the hidden world of the North Pole is revealed, from how reindeer can sleep standing up to what snacks Santa would like left out on Christmas Eve and how he gets round the world so quickly. But will the gifts the children have requested be made in time?
Natasha Mac a’Bháird illustrated by Audrey Dowling – Reindeer Down! An Irish Christmas Tale (O’Brien Press)
Santa’s sleigh is flying over Ireland, delivering presents to all the boys and girls. But then there’s a crash! Dancer hurts her leg and can’t pull the sleigh. What will Santa do? Rory, the smallest reindeer, has a great idea. It’s full speed ahead to visit the deer in the Phoenix Park. Can they help Santa continue with his journey?
Shelley Admont léaráidí le Sonal Goyal – Is Breá Liom an Geimhreadh (KidKiddos Books)
Is séasúr taitneamhach agus álainn é an geimhreadh le súgradh sa sneachta, ach ní raibh Jimmy an coinín beag ullmhaithe don aimsir fhuar. Nuair a fhoghlaimíonn sé conas é féin a choinneáil te, is féidir leis taitneamh a bhaint as am a chaitheamh lasmuigh lena theaghlach.
5+
Maggie O’Farrell illustrated by Daniela Jaglenka Terrazzini – Where Snow Angels Go (Walker Books)
Sylvie wakes one night, to the most spectacular sight – a pair of wings, enormous in size, made of the softest snow-white feathers imaginable… a SNOW angel! He tells her that he is here to look after her, for Sylvie is not as well as she seems… Many months later, as Sylvie recovers from her illness, she longs to see her snow angel again. Will he ever come back? And how can Sylvie make sure that everyone she loves has their own snow angel, to keep them safe?
Nicola Colton – A Dublin Christmas (Gill Books)
To Orla, Christmas means Gran, so when it looks like Gran won’t make it this year, everything feels a lot less festive. And with Christmas spirit everywhere at an all-time low, the whole of Dublin is in darkness. But then the fairy lights on Orla’s Christmas tree come to life and take her on an enchanting adventure to the National Library, Grafton Street, Stephen’s Green and the GPO. Together, Orla and her new friends attempt to restore the meaning of Christmas and holiday cheer.
Siobhán Parkinson illustarted by Shannon Bergin – Evie’s Christmas Wishes (Little Island Books)
Evie can hardly wait for Christmas to arrive. There is lots of festive fun to be had, from rehearsing for the school play, to decorating the tree, to wrapping presents. As she prepares for the big day with her parents and classmates, she is wishing, wishing, wishing. Suddenly, her wishes begin to come true! Just not in the way she expects. A wish for a reindeer results in a reindeer decoration being found in the attic, a wish for a singing part in her school play sees the whole class (Evie included) all singing along together, and her wish for a white Christmas sees a brief sprinkle of snowfall on Christmas Eve. Her biggest wish of all is for a baby sister, which also partially comes true, in a very surprising way.
Áine Ní Ghlinn léaráidí le Mr Ando – Saintí sa Bhaile (An tSnáthaid Mhór)
Tuigeann muid go léir go mbíonn Saintí agus na síofraí an-ghnóthach i rith na bliana ag cruthú bréagán le scaipeadh ar pháistí thart timpeall na cruinne. Tuigeann muid freisin go mbíonn Saintí níos gnóthaí fós ar Oíche Nollag agus é ag taisteal ó theach go teach is ó shimléar go simléar leis na bronntanais chéanna ina charr sleamhnáin. Ach – ar smaoinigh tú riamh faoi céard a dhéanann sé i ndiaidh dó an obair mhór sin a chur i gcrích? An mbíonn béile speisialta aige? An gceannaíonn éinne bronntanas Nollag dó? An bhfaigheann sé sos riamh?!
7+
Leona Forde, illustrated by Karen Harte – Milly McCarthy and the Christmas Calamity (Gill Books)
It’s coming up to Christmas and Milly’s class is prepping for their end-of-term performance. This year they’ve decided on a festive concert, so they can each showcase their favourite talent. Milly can’t wait to take part – though she never anticipated quite such a starring role … and really, it was totally NOT her fault that she literally brought the house down … The stage is set for a truly festive fiasco for our favourite cailín from Cork!
Sinéad O’Hart, illustrated by Rachel Seago – Lola and Larch Make a Winter’s Wish (Gill Books)
Magical adventures in a forest full of fairies with everyone’s favourite human-fairy best friend team, Lola and Larch… When Larch wishes her human best friend, Lola, could understand what it’s like to be a fairy, something amazing happens. The friends swap bodies! Now Lola has to learn how to fly and Larch has to act ‘normal’ in a school concert. And a very bad fairy called Euphorbia Spurge can’t wait to make the most of this magical mix-up!
Sheena Dempsey – Pablo and Splash: Frozen in Time (Bloomsbury Children’s Books)
When a visit to Professor O’Brain reveals she has found herself lost in time after an argument with the Timbender, it’s up to Pablo and Splash to venture 68,000 years into the past to the Ice Age of Northern Europe to save the Professor before she is frozen in time.
Patricia Forde léaráidí le Lauren O’ Neill – An Mac Tíre Deireanach (Futa Fata)
Éire, 1652. Tá saol Úna trína chéile – tá fear uafásach darbh ainm Cromail tagtha go hÉirinn lena chuid saighdiúirí. Tá gunnaí acu – uirlisí nua, scanrúla a d’fhéadfadh duine a mharú ar an toirt. Tá eagla agus imní ar na daoine, agus ní hiad siúd amháin atá thíos leis – tá Cromail ag iarraidh gach mac tíre in Éirinn a mharú, chomh tapa agus is féidir. Agus an grá atá ag Úna d’ainmhithe, an féidir léi an mac tíre deireanach sa tír a chosaint ó Chromail agus óna chuid saighdiúirí?
9+
Catherine Doyle – Miracle on Ebeneezer Street (Penguin)
When George stumbles across Marley’s Curiosity Shop at the Christmas fair he finds a mysterious snow globe. The scene it contains is just the first in a series of impossibilities. George and his Scrooge of a dad are soon swept on a hilarious adventure to Christmases past, present and future. With help from an enthusiastic elf, a rather grumpy purple reindeer and a very mischievous Nan, can George find a way to bring the joy of Christmas home once again? This is a fabulously festive story about finding Christmas, family, and magic!
Juniper’s Christmas by Eoin Colfer illustrated by Chaaya Prabhat (HarperCollins)
It’s been ten years since Santa Claus performed his Christmas duties, but when Juniper Lane discovers the mysterious Niko, who lives in her local London park surrounded by Christmas trees and reindeer that can fly, she steps into a Christmas story like no other. When Juniper’s mum goes missing and the park comes under threat from an ambitious park keeper, Juniper enlists Niko, who is surely Santa Claus, to help. As the countdown to Christmas begins, Juniper must find her mother, restore the festive spirit, bring to life the true magic of the season and learn to ride her very own reindeer.
Kieran Crowley – The Santa List (Scholastic)
When Aisling and Joe antagonise their tough new babysitter, she writes to Santa asking for them to be put on the “naughty list”. Determined not to be denied their Christmas presents, the pair seek help from the school bully – who always gets presents, no matter how badly he behaves! Unfortunately, this leads to them stealing the Santa List. After all, if Santa doesn’t have the list then he can’t tell if you’ve been naughty or nice, can he? But when the kids have a change of heart, they face a race-against-time adventure to return the list to Mr Claus, before Christmas is ruined.
11+
Eilish Fisher, illustrated by Dermot Flynn – Fia and the Last Snow Deer (Penguin)
Born under the same solstice sky thirteen years ago, Fia and her snow deer Solas have always had a powerful and unbreakable connection. But as Fia’s village face a seemingly eternal winter, they turn their sights to Solas and an ancient prophecy that promises the return of sunlight and life, if the ultimate sacrifice is made. Refusing to allow the worst to happen, Fia and her cousin Mish run from the village with Solas, seeking out the Deer Mother – the mythical being who wakes the sun at the winter solstice and who might be their only hope.
Sophie Kirtley – Swanfall – (Bloomsbury Publishing)
Pip lives with Mum in their isolated cottage on the wetlands. Pip struggles to feel like he fits in at school. But at home, amongst nature, he truly feels he can be himself. Just like every winter, Pip is waiting for the swanfall – when the flock of majestic Arctic swans return from Siberia on their annual migration. He knows every swan by their unique markings, and he loves to help Mum record the flock as they soar, shining through the sky, to their home. But this December, Pip’s favourite three swans haven’t appeared. Instead, Pip notices strange footprints in the snow, whispers on the wind and the sense that someone is watching him. Something mysterious is afoot, and the adventure to discover the truth leads Pip to follow clues to an ancient curse that he had always believed was simply a fairytale.
The Lotterys More or Less by Emma Donoghue illustrated by Caroline Hadilaksono (Pan Macmillan)
Sumac Lottery is the fifth of seven kids who share their big house with four parents, one grandfather and five pets. At nine, she’s the keeper of her family’s traditions – from Pow Wow to Holi, Carnival to Hogmanay, Sumac’s on guard to make sure that no Lottery celebration is forgotten. But this winter all Sumac’s plans go awry when a Brazilian visitor overstays his welcome. A terrible ice storm grounds all flights, so one of her dads and her favourite brother can’t make it home from India. And then the power starts going out across the city…
YA
NEW! Méabh McDonnell – Any Way You Slice It (The O’Brien Press)
For Carrie Quinn, baking isn’t just a hobby: it’s her future. Winning the Castlecreagh baking competition and becoming best young pastry chef in the country is the first step towards her dream. But when she and Dara Harte, handsome pastry prodigy and Carrie’s sworn nemesis, are both disqualified from the competition, it seems like her future has crumbled. Unless the pair can find a way to bake together. Can they rise above their rivalry and complicated home lives long enough to succeed? Or are they a disaster waiting to happen, any way you slice it? A cosy romance full of tasty treats – perfect for the festive season!
Mary Watson – The Wren Hunt (Bloomsbury)
Every Christmas, Wren is chased through the woods near her isolated village by her family’s enemies—the Judges—and there’s nothing that she can do to stop it. Once her people, the Augurs, controlled a powerful magic. But now that power lies with the Judges, who are set on destroying her kind for good. In a desperate bid to save her family, Wren takes a dangerous undercover assignment—as an intern to an influential Judge named Cassa Harkness. Cassa has spent her life researching a transformative spell, which could bring the war between the factions to its absolute end. Caught in a web of deceit, Wren must decide whether or not to gamble on the spell and seal the Augurs’ fate.
Daughter of Winter and Twilight by Helen Corcoran (The O’Brien Press)
To some, Emri – the adopted heir and daughter of two queens – is a living reminder that her birth father tried to usurp the Edaran throne. But as she grapples with a diplomatic visit from her estranged cousin, Melisande, the two girls are attacked by a magical force and spirited away. They must put their differences aside when Emri comes face to face with a goddess she’s always considered a myth: Lady Winter. Trapped deep within a mountain temple alongside other young royals, they face a race against time to complete Lady Winter’s trials…or die trying.
The Dos and Donuts of Love by Adiba Jaigirdar (Hachette)
Shireen Malik is still reeling from the breakup with her ex-girlfriend, Chris, when she receives news that she’s been accepted as a contestant on a new televised baking competition show. This is Shireen’s dream come true! Because winning will not only mean prize money, but it will also bring some much-needed attention to You Drive Me Glazy, her parents’ donut shop. Things get complicated, though, because Chris is also a contestant on the show. Then there’s the very outgoing Niamh, a fellow contestant who is becoming fast friends with Shireen. Things are heating up between them, and not just in the kitchen. As the competition intensifies, Shireen will have to ignore all these factors and more, including potential sabotage if she wants a sweet victory. A cosy romance full of tasty treats – perfect for the festive season!