Staff Picks - Recommended Reads 2020: Children's Non-Fiction

Animal Crackers: Fantastic Facts About Your Favourite Animals by Sarah Webb and Alan Nolan

What’s not to love about this fascinating fact book about animal life from two of Ireland’s most well-known and prolific writers of books for young people in Ireland. Sarah and Alan bring together an amazing amount of information about animals from all over the world in this latest collaboration. Alongside this wealth of information you will find fun games, drawing tips, hilarious illustrations and jokes. Readers are guaranteed to be entertained and will learn history, geography and biology even without realising it.

Break the Mould: How to Take Your Place in the World by Sinead Burke
Prefaced by the President of Ireland

Sinead Burke’s lovely book opens with his advice to celebrate our own uniqueness and others’ differences.
Break the Mould is divided into ten inspiring chapters, each with a compelling and motivating heading for example, To Dream, To Be Different, To Take Your Place. These are concerns and considerations for every young person but are even more important and more challenging for a little person. With the best advice and support imaginable from her parents Sinead proves that we can do anything we dream of. Her amazing achievements include being the first little person on the cover of Vogue. She has created the first little person doll and mannequin, has introduced the word for little person into the Irish dictionary and into Irish sign language and she is an advisor to the president.
Sinéad writes in a very authentic style that is suitable for all ages. It is no surprise that Break the Mould was the winner of the 2020 An Post Irish Book Awards – Children’s Book of the Year.

Mo Chuid Amhráin Ghaeilge le Risteard Mac Liam. Maisithe ag Tatyana Feeney

This is a beautiful board book guaranteed to keep little hands and minds busy.
Báíidin Fheilimí, Óró sé do Bheatha Abhaile, Peigín Leitir Móir are just some of the lovely Irish songs we all know, presented with accompanying illustrations by Tatyana Feeney on each page. Turning the pages, little ones can press the sound button to play each song, sung in sweet children’s voices.

Tom Crean: The Brave Explorer by John and Fatti Burke

A new addition to this father and daughter duo’s Little Library series. Readers will journey with Tom Crean from his farm in County Kerry as he sails the stormy seas and finish back at The South Pole Inn in Annascaul. The book is also illustrated by the authors John and Fatti Burke. It provides a colourful picture of one of Ireland’s most legendary heroes as he navigates through his incredible adventures.

Aim High: Irish Sports Stars, Trailblazers and Mavericks by Donny Mahoney

Several Irish sports stars over hundreds of years leading up to the trail blazers of Irish sport today are introduced to children in this O’Brien Press publication. Find out who the mavericks and heroes are in GAA, soccer and rugby as well as the heroes of less common sports such as bowling and surfing. A must for young Irish sport enthusiasts

Calm: Mindfulness For Kids by Wynne Kinder

This children’s book is full of helpful wellbeing advice for children and parents too. The author recommends that we pay attention to our senses, concentrate on the present and engage in some relaxing, cool activities and crafts to engage and soothe our busy minds. All helping to keep our worries away. A funny and accessible read for family sharing, it is an important addition to our book collections in schools and libraries for the times we are living in.

My First Book of Irish Animals by Juanita Browne

First published in 2014 and reprinted in 2020, My First Book of Irish Animals by Juanita Browne is a beautifully illustrated book that introduces our wonderful Irish wildlife in pictures and words.
Fantastic double page spreads featuring foxes, the Irish stoat, otters and pygmy shrews will instantly grab children’s attention. Find out which animal is over 20 times heavier than a T-Rex, who can hypnotise a rabbit with their funny dance and what animal catches 3,000 insects each night using sound to fine them. This is a fabulous book for all the family.