Creative book for young storytellers featuring Donegal artist released today

Donegal artist Siobhán Parkinson is featured in Patricia Forde’s new non-fiction book, published by Little Island today. 

A letter to readers, written by Siobhán Parkinson, is featured in Laureate na nÓg, Patricia Forde’s new non-fiction book for 8-12 year olds, Making It Up As You Go Along: A Children’s Guide to Writing Stories. 

Illustrated by Mary Murphy, the book features letters to the reader penned by some of the country’s most beloved authors and illustrators, including literary powerhouses Derek Landy, Eoin Colfer and Catherine Doyle.

 As part of her mission to inspire creativity among children and young people across Ireland, Forde has written a fun and practical guide designed to ignite the creativity of 8–12-year-olds. It will cover everything an aspiring storyteller needs to know, from where to find inspiration to creating characters to structuring a plot.

The book was officially launched at this year’s Children’s Books Ireland International Conference in Dublin on Saturday, September 20. 

 “When I became Laureate na nÓg in 2023, I decided the theme of my tenure would be ‘Samhlaigh, Samhlaigh! Making It Up As We Go Along’ because creativity and imagination has enriched my life and I wanted to ensure that every child in Ireland can unearth their own creative potential,” Forde said. “This book is a fun and practical guide for children and includes tips and techniques used by some of Ireland’s foremost children’s authors, including Siobhán Parkinson, in their own work. This book will be part of the legacy of my time as Laureate, and I hope it will help to inspire and empower the next generation of storytellers.”

Laureate na nÓg is an initiative of the Arts Council of Ireland. It is managed and delivered on the Council’s behalf by Children’s Books Ireland and also supported by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland and the Department of Children, Disability and Equality. 

“As well as being a beautiful publication in its own right, ‘Making It Up As You Go Along’ includes a foreword by President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins and letters to the reader full of advice from a stellar line-up of twelve leading Irish children’s writers,” Maura McGrath, Chair of the Arts Council said. “The publication of ‘Making It Up As You Go Along’ is an incredible crescendo to Patricia’s time as Laureate na nÓg. Her tenure also featured the 2024 ‘Whole Wild World’ tour of the west coast of Ireland, stretching from Malin Head to Mizen Head and is celebrated in the Whole Wild World documentary, which debuted at this year’s Children’s Books Ireland Conference.”