commentary on the state of children’s literature in Ireland and elsewhere. The Irish
Children’s Book Trust, established in 1989, published the Irish Guide to Children’s
Books 1980–1990 (1990). The Trust is involved with both the selection of the Bisto
Books of the Decade and the annual Bisto Book Awards for books by Irish authors or
illustrators or which have been published in Ireland, and in creating the Irish Children’s
Book Room in the Dublin Writers’ Museum. In 1991 the last two of these organisations
combined to hold the first of a series of annual summer schools on children’s literature.
CLAI and the YLG also combine to compile a list of recommended reading for young
people. This is published annually by the Booksellers Association during Children’s
Book Fortnight, a nationwide event which promotes reading by children and young
people, mainly through events in libraries, bookshops and schools.
Traditionally, the school curriculum in both Irish and English did not encourage a
wide range of reading by pupils, and school libraries are very considerably
underresourced. This, however, is changing due to the advent of new curricula and a
growing appreciation of the value of encouraging children to enjoy books, and allied to
other developments discussed above, indicates an exciting future for the development of
children’s literature in Ireland.
Further ReadingChildren’s Books in Ireland (1989-) Ongoing.
Reece, L. and Rosenstock, G. (comp.) (1990) Irish Guide to Children’s Books. The Decade 1980–
1990, Dublin: Irish Children’s Book Foundation.
690 THE WORLD OF CHILDREN’S LITERATURE