The Best Irish Books of 2025 - timeless new tales for toddlers to teens!
Ahead of a special Culture Night event in Dublin City Centre, Children’s Books Ireland is today launching their annual reading guide, titled The Best Irish Books of 2025. The latest in a series of specially curated reading guides shines a spotlight on the talent of Irish and Irish-based artists across fiction, non-fiction, graphic novels, verse and more!
To mark the launch, Children’s Books Ireland and Laureate na nÓg Patricia Forde are staging a special takeover of Dubray Bookstore on Dublin’s Grafton Street for Culture Night, between 5pm–7pm on Friday, 19th September. The free event will provide families with an opportunity to pick up a copy of the guide, to meet featured authors and illustrators, and pay a visit to the Book Clinics, running in English and as Gaeilge. Located on the first floor in Dubray, the Children’s Books Ireland Book Doctors will prescribe recommended reads to readers of all ages based on their favourite genres and interests.
Speaking on 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 débuts 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 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 reading guide is your map. We encourage everyone to journey through its pages to find their next great read, in English or as Gaeilge.'
- Elaina Ryan, CEO of Children’s Books Ireland
This year’s reading guide is a celebration of Irish authors and illustrators, published in 2025. With titles from well-known artists including, Alan Nolan, Leon Diop and Sadhbh Rosenstock. Reviews are mostly in English and some are as Gaeilge, with editors’ choices denoted with a star and début authors marked with a megaphone throughout the guide. Every book included has been selected on the basis of excellence.
The reading guide features titles for young readers aged 0–18 years and boasts a specially commissioned cover image by illustrator Linda Fährlin. Fährlin, whose recent work includes The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Irish Lighthouses which was shortlisted for the KPMG Children’s Books Ireland Awards 2025, states:
“This cover is inspired by the sea. I was thinking that Children’s Books Ireland has collected a diverse treasure trove of the best titles for children and young people to enjoy, so of course, each animal or character has their own favourite book too! As a Champion of Reading I have seen the importance of presenting children with a wide range of books to choose from, as they are more motivated to read titles reflecting their own passions and interests.”
