Donegal trio featured in Best Irish Books of 2025: Timeless tales for toddlers to teens
'Our mission is to inspire a love of reading in children and young people on the island of Ireland'
Three artists from Donegal are featured in this year’s Children’s Books Ireland reading guide, titled ‘The Best Irish Books of 2025.’
The guide, which launches on September 15, is the latest in a series of specially curated reading guides – and it shines a spotlight on the talent of Irish and Irish-based artists across fiction, non-fiction, graphic novels, verse and more.
Donegal-based authors and illustrators included in ‘The Best Irish Books of 2025’ are: Meg Grehan for her book, ‘The Brightest Star’ and Natasha Mac a Bháird for her book, ‘The Vanished Girl’.
Artist David Rooney is also featured for his drawings for ‘The Waters and the Wild’, written by Eilish Fisher.
Speaking at the launch of the new reading guide, Elaina Ryan, Children’s Books Ireland CEO said: "At Children’s Books Ireland our mission is to inspire a love of reading in children and young people on the island of Ireland. What better way to do that than to bring together a collection of brilliant books that appeal to so many interests and ages?”
“From debuts to our Laureates na nÓg, ‘The Best Irish Books of 2025’ celebrates the wealth of talent on the island of Ireland. As well as the 100 featured books, an additional 100 are also recommended to inspire further reading.”
“We’re so proud to include a host of artists from Donegal in this reading guide. We believe it’s essential to champion the hard-working authors and illustrators from across the island, as well as those who have made their home here, creating art for children and young people and enriching our proud literary culture.”
This year’s reading guide is a celebration of Irish authors and illustrators, published in 2025. The reading guide features titles for young readers aged 0–18 years and boasts a specially commissioned cover image by illustrator Linda Fährlin.
‘The Best Irish Books of 2025’ reading guide is available in participating bookshops and libraries nationwide, with digital copies available for free download from www.childrensbooksireland.ie.