Mayo to welcome Laureate na nÓg’s Whole Wild World Bus Tour
The ‘Whole Wild World’ Bus Tour will bring over 30 children’s authors and illustrators on a 1,400km journey along the Wild Atlantic Way including Belmullet, Louisburgh, Newport and Westport
Children in Belmullet, Newport, Louisburgh and Westport will welcome a first-of-its-kind creative roadshow led by Laureate na nÓg Patricia Forde next week.
The ‘Whole Wild World’ Bus Tour will bring over 30 children’s authors and illustrators on a 1,400km journey along the Wild Atlantic Way, gifting a book for every kilometre to children at events on the way.
Belmullet Library will host an as Gaeilge event for 170 school pupils on Thursday, April 18 where they will hear from Patricia Forde and former Laureate na nÓg and children’s author Áine Ní Ghlinn;
Other special guests and speakers include Máire Zepf, author of the Rita picture book series, Chris Haughton, creator of picture books including ‘Little Owl Lost’ and ‘Oh No, George!’; and Jane Mitchell, author of ‘Run for your Life’ which is shortlisted for the KPMG Children’s Books Ireland Awards 2024.
The tour will visit Newport National School, Books at One in Louisburgh and Tertulia Books in Westport before travelling onto Galway.
Laureate na nÓg is an initiative of the Arts Council, which is managed and delivered on their behalf by Children’s Books Ireland, and also supported by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, and the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth.
Patricia Forde stated she is very excited at the prospect of meeting young readers and writers in Mayo next week.
“This tour is about igniting imaginations and ensuring that Mayo will have another generation of great writers and illustrators by bringing books and their creators to an audience that doesn’t often get a chance to meet them in their own local area," she said. "We will have exciting Irish authors and illustrators on board, hoping to inspire and to be inspired, to share stories and have lots of fun."
Meanwhile, Elaina Ryan, CEO of Children’s Books Ireland insisted it is so important that our small towns, rural communities and more remote schools get access to really exciting and memorable experiences with Irish children’s books.
"Patricia Forde is our first Laureate na nÓg from the West of Ireland, and her goal with the Whole Wild World Bus Tour is to make sure that young readers all along the west coast get to meet some of our most talented writers and illustrators and nurture the spark of creativity within themselves," she added.
The Whole Wild World Tour will visit schools, libraries, and cultural venues in a further five counties over a two-week period, concluding at Kinsale Library in Cork on Sunday, April 28.
The full route and schedule, with booking information, can be found at www.childrenslaureate.ie.
