When I was little we used to go to the library every Saturday morning. In the early 80s, I lived on a healthy diet of the Milly Molly Mandy, Dr Doolittle and Mary Poppins series. More often than not, my sisters and I had different tastes, but there was one book that came home again and again ‘Mog – the forgetful cat’. We always had tabby cats and I guess the artwork of a cat...

 It’s a new look for the children’s blog Down the Rabbit Hole on Writing.ie, now renamed ‘Flourish and Blogs’ as a nod to one of the most famous bookshops in children’s literary fiction. As a Kerry person I’ve always felt I had part ownership of Listowel Writers’ Week. In fact, ask any Kerry person – this is our festival, founded by Kerry greats, attended by publishing giants and neatly set in a local town square. It...

Continuing a series of interviews with Irish children’s authors, Olivia Hope from the Down the Rabbit Hole blog talks to Corkman, Cethan Leahy about his first year as a published author.         So, an easy question first – what was your most significant moment in the past year of being a debut author? Having the actual final physical thing in my hand. I’ll remember the moment not least because in my excitement, I...

I was recently re-discovering one of my favourite childhood books, Good Mister Tom, when I was struck by how disturbing the story was. I remember reading it as a nine or ten year old, and, despite crying and finding it deeply upsetting, I was also well able to cope with the story, and was hugely relieved by the happy ending. I wondered, at what age would I deem my own daughters old enough to deal...

Olivia Hope interviews writer and illustrator of the Mr Men and Little Miss series, Adam Hargreaves. It is often the innocuous or the unexpected that can spark story idea. Who knew that when a young Adam Hargreaves asked his father what a tickle looked like that it would inspire one of the most recognisable and fondly regarded book series for young readers – The Mr Men and Little Miss characters. Now in its forty-seventh year,...

Following trends leads to cramped writing. When I first started writing for children, I went into Waterstones and studied the shelves. I thought that if I got to know the type of books that were doing well, then I’d be able to join in. But when I tried to write a story along the lines of the best sellers, my story came out forced, and frankly awful. The story wasn’t true to me. Had I...

Want to understand more about the world of writing for children? Here’s a calendar of events that just might make you a better writer. January is a time where resolutions pepper the air, and good intentions are often spoken, but not acted on. Well, here’s where you can ACT and DO something that will improve your writing skills, introduce you to the Irish kidlit community, and give an insight into what the public side of...

What is it about Christmas that gets children so excited? Their excitement bypasses normal levels and reaches new snow-covered peaks. But what triggers it? Is it looking forward to the feast dinner? The time off school? Meeting their extended families, and feeling that increased sense of belonging? There is so much to look forward to, from presents to the hope of snow. But I’ve been watching my own children’s eyes, and there’s no doubt about...

An interview with Eve McDonnell, by Niamh Garvey. Eve McDonnell is the winner of this year’s Childrens’ Book Prize at the Wells Festival of Literature, for her novel, “Elsetime”. I asked her a little about her experience and what comes next. Firstly, congratulations on winning the first prize in the Children’s book category at the Wells Festival of Literature 2017. It’s wonderful to see an unpublished writer win such a prestigious award, it gives hope...

If you are new to writing for children, you may not know that there’s a whole community for children’s writers in Ireland. You don’t have to be published, you don’t even have to be trying to get published, to discover this community. All you need is to love children’s books, and even better, love writing them. Here are some ways to get yourself out there, and join the community: 1) Conferences and festivals There are...