As part of the BOLD GIRLS initiative from Children’s Books Ireland, a new BOLD GIRLS Reading Guide was launched, shining a light on some of the wonderful authors who contributed to it. We’re delighted to celebrate these 20 Bold Girls authors.
The Children’s Books Ireland BOLD GIRLS Reading Guide is an 88-page publication reviewing 173 children’s books (in English and in Irish) that feature strong women and girls, for readers aged 0–18, including classics and non-fiction titles.
The guide reviews books that feature female characters with agency, power and opinions — addressing, at a young age, some of the issues that stand in the way of women achieving their ambitions, whether in leadership, government or the arts.
These are stories from Ireland and around the globe, featuring pirates, politicians, ponies, polar bears, pilots, princesses and pretty much everything in between, from authors and illustrators ranging from Marita Conlon-McKenna to Roald Dahl to L. M. Montgomery.
The Reading Guide was made available online at childrensbooksireland.ie and through bookstores. We’d also recommend our pick of 20 Brilliant Books to Celebrate Bold Girls. And here’s a bit of background on 20 Bold Girls authors from the guide.
Bold Girls Authors
#1. Kathi ‘Fatti’ Burke
Photo by Aoife Herrity
Kathi ‘Fatti’ Burke is an illustrator from Waterford, based in Amsterdam. She has worked as a freelance illustrator since graduating from NCAD in 2012 with a BDes in Visual Communications.
Visit Kathi’s website at www.fattiburke.com, follow her on Twitter @FattiBurke and on Instagram fattiburke.
#2. Anna Carey
Photo by Emma Byrne
Anna Carey is an author and journalist from Dublin. Her first book, The Real Rebecca, won the Senior Children’s Book of the Year prize at the Bord Gáis Energy Irish Book Awards. Her sixth book, Mollie on the March, followed.
Follow Anna on Twitter at @urchinette.
#3. Marita Conlon-McKenna
Photo by Geraldine Woods
Marita Conlon-McKenna has written thirteen children’s books, including the much-loved novel Under the Hawthorn Tree. Her awards include the International Reading Association Award USA and the Bisto Book of the Year Award.
Visit Marita’s website at www.maritaconlonmckenna.com.
You may also enjoy 10 Things You Didn’t Know About Marita Conlon-McKenna.
#4. Sarah Crossan
Photo by Rolf Marriott
Sarah Crossan is a multi-award-winning author of many books for young people, including the verse novels The Weight of Water, One and Moonrise. Sarah worked as an English teacher before becoming a full-time writer.
Visit Sarah’s website at www.sarahcrossan.com, follow her on Twitter @SarahCrossan and on Instagram sarahcrossanwriter.
#5. Judi Curtin
Photo by Eva Birdthistle
Judi Curtin has been writing since 1999 and has written twenty-five books for children and adults. Her children’s books include the Alice series, the Eva series, Friends Forever and Stand By Me.
Visit Judi’s website at www.judicurtin.com, follow her on Twitter @judi_curtin.
#6. Marie-Louise Fitzpatrick
Marie-Louise Fitzpatrick is an award-winning novelist and picture-book creator who has been making books since 1988. Her picture books include The Sleeping Giant, Izzy and Skunk, There and Owl Bat Bat Owl. Her novels include Dark Warning and Hagwitch.
Visit Marie-Louise’s website at www.marielouisefitzpatrick.com, her blog at www.thebelugasarewatching.com and follow her on Twitter @Marielouisefit1.
#7. Patricia Forde
Photo by Philip Smith
Patricia Forde is an award-winning writer from Galway who writes books for children in both Irish and English.
Her book The Wordsmith is a dystopian novel imagining a world where language is restricted to five hundred words.
#8. Claire Hennessy
Claire Hennessy is the author of twelve books for teenagers, including Nothing Tastes as Good and Like Other Girls. She also works as an editor and creative-writing facilitator.
Visit Claire’s website at www.clairehennessy.com, follow her on Twitter @chennessybooks and Instagram chennessybooks.
#9. Yasmeen Ismail
Photo by Jake Green
Yasmeen Ismail is an Irish-born author-illustrator living in Bristol. Her award-winning picture books are published worldwide. She loves to experiment with her work and is always trying new ways to improve her writing and drawing.
Visit her website at www.yasmeenismail.co.uk, follow her on Twitter @YasmeenMay and on Instagram yasmeeny.
#10. Lucinda Jacob
Lucinda Jacob is a poet, illustrator, author of fiction for young people and creative-writing facilitator. Her book Hopscotch in the Sky (Little Island Books/Poetry Ireland) is a collection of seasonal poems for children.
Follow Lucinda on Twitter @lucindajwriter and on Instagram at lucindajacobwriter.
#11. Celine Kiernan
Photo by Grace Kiernan
Celine Kiernan was born and raised in Dublin. Her books combine fantasy with political, humanitarian and philosophical themes. They’ve won the RAI Best Book Award twice, the CBI Book of the Year Award and Children’s Choice Award, and have been included in The Irish Times best children’s books of the past twenty-five years.
Visit her blog celinekiernan.wordpress.com, follow her on Twitter @Celine_Kiernan and on Instagram at celine_kiernan.
#12. Jane Mitchell
Jane Mitchell is an award-winning writer of books and short stories for young readers. Her book A Dangerous Crossing is a powerful and timely account of one boy’s flight out of Syria.
Visit Jane’s website at www.janemitchell.ie and follow her on Twitter @JMitchellwriter.
#13. Mary Murphy
Mary Murphy is an author and illustrator of more than 40 books, mainly for preschoolers. Besides working, she loves hiking, yoga, dogs, reading, and tea and coffee with (or without) friends.
Visit Mary’s website at www.marymurphy.ie.
#14. Áine Ní Ghlinn
Áine Ní Ghlinn has won a range of awards for children’s and YA fiction. Daideo and Hata Zú Mhamó both won Irish Language Book of the Year.
Daideo also won a CBI Book of the Year fiction award and the Literacy Association of Ireland Book of the Year.
#15. Louise O’Neill
Photo by Miki Barlok
Louise O’Neill is the best-selling, multi-award-winning author of Only Ever Yours and Asking For It. Her novels Almost Love and The Surface Breaks followed.
Follow Louise on Twitter @oneilllo and Instagram oneilllou.
#16. Siobhán Parkinson
Siobhán Parkinson writes mostly fiction, mostly for ten- to twelve-year-olds, mostly in English — which leaves lots of room for exceptions. She was the first Laureate na nÓg and is also a publisher (Little Island Books) and a translator.
Visit Siobhán’s website at www.siobhanparkinson.com.
#17. Niamh Sharkey
Niamh Sharkey is an award-winning author and illustrator of children’s picture books. Her books have won numerous awards, including the prestigious Mother Goose Award and the Bisto Book of the Year. Niamh was Ireland’s second Laureate na nÓg, 2012–14.
Visit Niamh’s website at www.niamhsharkey.com, follow her on Twitter at @sharkeytweets and on Instagram Sharkeydoodles.
#18. Deirdre Sullivan
Deirdre Sullivan is a writer from Galway. She has published five books for young adults and ghostwritten three books in the Nightmare Club series. Her book Tangleweed and Brine (illustrated by Karen Vaughan) is a collection of dark retellings of old stories.
#19. Sarah Webb
Sarah Webb is an award-winning champion of children’s books, a writer and a creative-writing teacher. Her book about remarkable Irish women who changed the world, Blazing a Trail, was published in 2018.
Visit Sarah’s website at www.sarahwebb.ie, follow her on Twitter @sarahwebbishere and on Instagram sarahwebbwriter.
#20. Sheena Wilkinson
Sheena Wilkinson, described as “one of our foremost writers for young people” (The Irish Times), is an award-winning writer of contemporary and historical fiction, including Star by Star.
Visit Sheena’s website at www.sheenawilkinson.com, follow her on Twitter @sheenawriter.
About the BOLD GIRLS project
For the centenary of women’s suffrage in Ireland in 2018, Children’s Books Ireland’s BOLD GIRLS project celebrated strong, confident, intelligent, brave women and girls in children’s books, giving them much-needed visibility alongside their male counterparts.
The BOLD GIRLS aim was to break down societal barriers and instil confidence in girls and young women by showing them female characters in children’s books with agency, power and opinions — addressing, at a young age, some of the issues that stand in the way of women achieving their ambitions, whether in leadership, government or the arts.
The project highlighted and reviewed books featuring strong, intelligent, self-possessed female protagonists, as well as celebrating twenty female Irish authors and illustrators, both emerging and established, who made an exceptional contribution to the canon of Irish children’s literature.
As part of the initiative, BOLD GIRLS partner Trinity College Dublin celebrated the skill and artistry of Irish women writers and illustrators of children’s texts with an exhibition entitled Story Spinners: Irish Women and Children’s Books in the Long Room of the Old Library. BOLD GIRLS events took place across the country, and schools were able to download a free BOLD GIRLS Resource Pack.
Visit the Children’s Books Ireland website at www.childrensbooksireland.ie, find them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/childrensbooksireland, on Twitter @KidsBooksIrel, on Instagram at www.instagram.com/kidsbooksirel, and follow the hashtag #BOLDGIRLS.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the BOLD GIRLS Reading Guide?
It’s an 88-page guide from Children’s Books Ireland reviewing 173 children’s books (in English and Irish) that feature strong, capable women and girls, for readers aged 0–18.
Who is behind the BOLD GIRLS project?
The project was created by Children’s Books Ireland, with partners including Trinity College Dublin, to mark the centenary of women’s suffrage in Ireland and to celebrate Irish women writers and illustrators of children’s books.
Are these authors all Irish?
The 20 authors and illustrators featured are all connected to Ireland, celebrating the contribution Irish writers and illustrators have made to children’s literature featuring bold female characters.
Where can I find books featuring bold girl characters?
Our companion piece, 20 Brilliant Books to Celebrate Bold Girls, is a great starting point, and your local library or bookshop can point you toward more titles in this space.
More Bold Girls Reading
If you enjoyed meeting these authors, you might also like our pick of 20 Brilliant Books to Celebrate Bold Girls, and our feature on 10 Things You Didn’t Know About Marita Conlon-McKenna.
Save These Ideas for Later
Loved discovering these authors and their books? Bookmark this page or save it to your reading list so you have it handy next time you’re choosing books for the young readers in your life.
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