They are authors of their own stories, illustrators of their own books; they are readers.

Working with the students and staff at Our Lady Immaculate Junior National School in Dublin 17 for two years as their Champion of Reading on the Every Child a Reader programme has been a delight! Just weeks into my role, I noticed the children recognising me in the hallways, waving and smiling (they’re the cutest!). The programme was introduced from the very beginning in a fun way with a whole-school Monster Doodle, and both children and staff embraced it beautifully. Coming into each class for the workshops felt like meeting friends; the children knew who I was from the Monster Doodle launch event and from seeing me pop into different classes in the halls, and they were up for whatever I brought them. 

From reading to the children, showcasing books, sharing poems, and creating characters and zines, every visit was a joy for the classes and me. On one of my first visits, I noticed the children enthusiastically recognised the book I was reading to them, which I had picked from the starter book selection, showing that they were already making great use of the library and the new books gifted by Children’s Books Ireland. Every teacher welcomed me into their class with open arms and enthusiasm, and quite often, the pupils asked where in the school library they could find the books I brought into class to share with them. Once, a child asked me whether I had visited many schools with school libraries, and they were very surprised to hear that not many schools have one.

There are many special moments during my visits. Sometimes a child asks about the books I make; others want a special handshake or a hug, and occasionally children ask to show me their sketchbooks, filled with incredible characters and stories they have been working on themselves. It is such a privilege to see books and stories play such a special role in their school experience. A young boy with additional needs from one of the classes created a card for me at the end of the first term. The card said, "We all like you! Me too, because I like art too". I am thrilled that we could connect through creativity and share a path with him so he can engage with the books and stories around him. 

The pupils also created stories for the characters we developed together (they all, of course, enjoy going to the library, just like the pupils do!). These characters have been printed and are proudly displayed in every class in the school, and the pupils were able to bring them home in a little zine to share with their families. Everything related to books has become something special for these children. They were very excited to have visited the public library and to be part of the Junior Jury for the KPMG Children's Books Ireland Awards. I can’t say this enough, but the school-wide engagement with the project was outstanding, with full support from every single member of staff, which made this experience even more special.

During the second year, our main project was to create a legacy book to engage the wider community beyond the school walls. The result was MAGIC, a collection of poems written by the children for everyone in the school and beyond. The entire process reflected the children’s voices and ideas, from choosing the theme - MAGIC - to writing the poems and developing ideas for the illustrations. Each class contributed a different spread, creating unique poems. Using these, I crafted illustrations with cut-out paper collages, providing enough space for each and every child in the school to contribute their own elements and decorations, giving them ownership and authorship over both the words and images.

MAGIC was such a successful project that the school organised a morning with an open exhibition showcasing the framed illustrated pages created by the children and me. The event welcomed the community, and friends and family visited the school to see the entire project, view the work of other classes, and enjoy the reveal of the book - MAGIC - which each class received a copy of for collective reading. The children went wild for it and even asked where they could purchase copies of the book (!). Because we all wanted to have a deeper reach into the community, during our final celebration together, every child was gifted their own copy of the MAGIC book they made to take home alongside the book they’d chosen as part of the Book Gifting Programme.

The impact of Every Child a Reader on Our Lady Immaculate Darndale and its community has been enormous. Books are shared and enjoyed, and the celebration of books is clearly evident, with themed books constantly displayed and rotated through different areas of the school, enticing children with new reading possibilities. Beautiful showcases of book-inspired displays take centre stage in the main hall. The pupils are significantly more engaged in reading, exploring new books and stories, and more eager to share the books they are reading. A child, for instance, chose to bring a book they had from home for their golden time instead of a toy, which the whole class then got to enjoy together. This is a small but meaningful win for everyone. These children now know they are authors of their own stories, illustrators of their own books, and that books are here for them. They are readers.

About Every Child a Reader 

Every Child A Reader brings several Children’s Books Ireland school book-gifting programmes together under one name. Drawing on the organisation’s vision, we want every child in the selected schools to be reading more, enjoying reading more and reading more widely. We hope to enable positive, sustainable changes in these schools by providing brilliant books, engaging resources, and inspiring visits from Champions of Reading. 

About The RTÉ Toy Show Appeal 

The RTÉ Toy Show Appeal began in 2020 and was inspired by the story of the late Saoirse Ruane from Kiltullagh, Co Galway, who won the hearts of the nation when she appeared on The Late Late Toy Show. Managed on behalf of RTÉ by Community Foundation Ireland, the fund has raised over €31 million to date and distributed grants to hundreds of local and national registered charities and organisations across the island of Ireland. By funding essential support, health, wellbeing, play and creativity, the appeal aims to change children's lives for good.