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winners

These are the best Irish children's books out there right now

They’ve all won an award today.

IF YOU’RE LOOKING to pick up a good children’s book, you could do worse than turn to the just-announced winners of the CBI (formerly Bisto) Book of the Year Awards.

The winner of the 25th CBI Book of the Year Award was revealed today at a ceremony in the Light House cinema in Dublin, and saw Oliver Jeffers walking away with the overall prize.

He not only won the award for Once Upon an Alphabet, but became the third author ever to win both the Book of the Year Award and the Children’s Choice award.

oliver jeffers Oliver Jeffers Oliver Jeffers

Once Upon an Alphabet includes 26 original stories about the letters of the alphabet, as well as Jeffer’s signature line drawings.

The judges said about the book:

Every school, every home, every person should have at least one copy, as this is a book that bears repeated readings. Each letter of the alphabet is introduced with its own story, each one weaving in and out of one another, asking the reader to make connections and cross-references. Although this is an alphabet book, the cleverly constructed stories and quirky line drawings make this the perfect read for children of all ages.

Students from King’s Hospital School Palmerstown and Scoil Cholmcille, Skryne, Co Meath presented Oliver with the Children’s Choice Award.

This was voted for by readers from across the country.

The other winners were:

  • Honour Award for Illustration: Chris Haughton for Shh! We Have a Plan
  • Honour Award for Fiction: Áine Ní Ghlinn for Daideo
  • Judges’ Special Award: Gabriel Rosenstock and Brian Fitzgerald for Haiku Más é do thoil é!
  • Eilís Dillon Award for a first children’s book: Louise O’Neill for Only Ever Yours.

Check out our interview with Louise O’Neill about her book here.

Read: Ten million downloads and counting – inside a Dublin games studio with a difference>

Read: Obsession, sex, weight and women – welcome to the world of Only Ever Yours>

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