Irish artists

‘Although sometimes I think that people like us are always alone in this world. Hidden away and stuck inside our Treacle Towns. Unequal and unrecognised.’ Con O’Neill, the protagonist of this novel reflects on life in his community, a so called ‘Treacle Town,’ where nobody can ever seem to leave, stuck in the roles imposed upon them by the people around them.

Frankie Finkleton’s world is a very busy one. She’s a typical eleven-year-old with a loving family and lots going on at school. Frankie also has a sideline as a very secret investigator and from time to time goes on adventures to an imaginary world called Thoughtopolis with her younger brother Fred and her dog Blue.

‘When there is nothing to eat, it affects everything; that is how important food is’, reflects Maggie who, as a child of a Skibbereen farming family, witnesses first-hand the devastating consequences of the Irish famine in the 1840s.

In the seventh instalment of the Lulu series, we meet Lulu’s Nana-Bibi, who arrives for a visit. We see the preparation for, as well as the visit itself – Lulu gives up her bed for her Nana-Bibi and instead gets to sleep on a blow-up mattress in a snug spot in the living room!

A pair of slug brothers travel the roads until their peace is interrupted by a crow who asks where their home is. Embarrassed, the younger slug makes himself a home he can carry on his back and starts to call himself a snail. The brothers grow apart until they meet with the crow once more and begin to realise how alike they are after all.

LaCour’s beautifully bright book perfectly captures the amazing way children can find wonder in almost anything. My Friend, Loonie is a sweet story about a little girl who loves her balloon. She sings and dances with the balloon, she looks out the window with the balloon, this wonderful yellow balloon even keeps her company while she does her homework! So, you can imagine how upset she was when her balloon floated away …