Creating communities of readers with Children's Health Ireland
Reads and Rhymes Together is a Children’s Books Ireland bookgifting initiative in partnership with the Arts in Health Team at Children’s Health Ireland (CHI). The project seeks to create communities of readers aged between 0 and 18 years old and to support their families across Children’s Health Ireland’s acute hospitals.
Parent- and guardian-led reading in hospital can form important connections in simple but meaningful ways. Together, we wanted to inspire a culture of reading for joy across the paediatric healthcare setting, encouraging patients and families to spend time together and connect with one another over the pages of a great book.
Initially launched as Little Reads and Rhymes in 2021, the project first sought to support patients and their families in the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit through the power of reading. In the years since, this collaborative project has grown and fortunately, it will continue to expand across healthcare settings with the support and expertise of the CHI Arts in Health team.
“Reads and Rhymes is the most heartening, life-affirming experience. I met strong, loving parents, siblings and staff – and above all inspiring young patients. Reads and Rhymes allows books to work their healing magic with children, and gives space to their creativity.”
Author-illustrator Mary Murphy
Since 2024 the Champion of Reading in CHI has been Irish author Eve McDonnell. Together with CHI staff, Eve and the Children’s Books Ireland team work throughout the year to encourage and promote reading as an everyday part of the creative culture in CHI.
As part of this project, Eve visits patients at their bedsides and works with many more patients through a series of group book activities at scheduled events across the year. With this initiative we want to help relieve stress and bring comfort to as many young patients as possible through the power of books and storytelling.
To achieve this, we plan special event days for patients and staff and bring along some very special guests like brilliant Irish authors and illustrators to support. There have been several themed event days to encourage patients to get together and unleash their creativity!
Niamh Sharkey conducted a ‘Doodle Zoo’, Mary Murphy led a ‘Hug-a-book’ day, Peter Donnelly and John Devolle facilitated a 'Doggy Doodle' while Karen Harte and Ruth Ennis read stories and took part in bookish debates. Each day ended with patients receiving a copy of a book, so that they can find a moment of reading for joy for themselves.
Take a look at some of these events in action and hear from the visiting artists who have been working on the Reads and Rhymes Together project in collaboration with CHI and Children’s Books Ireland.
Niamh Sharkey, Guest Artist
“It is a privilege and an honour to be able to work alongside author Eve McDonnell at CHI. It is so important to give all children access to high-quality arts experiences, and even more so when they are faced with illness or extended hospital stays.
It is my intention to meet children where they are, not to force my own agenda. I try to hold space for them to explore their own creativity in a supportive environment. The space to doodle on a large scale with high-quality art materials is both empowering and inclusive. Children of all ages, from babies in slings to teenagers visited our Doodle Zoo. We discussed books, illustration, animation, made mismatched animals and weird and wonderful creatures! I absolutely love collaborating with the children and Children's Books Ireland on this valuable and fun project.”
Karen Harte, Guest Artist
"This was my first visit to Temple Street - I knew it would be hard to see what these kids and their carers are experiencing. But I didn't expect the overwhelming joy and happiness I would feel being able to make these wonderful children smile and give their carers a bit of respite while the other artists, authors and I told them stories, drew pictures and played games. I can't wait to go back again."
Eve McDonnell, Champion of Reading
“Not unlike opening the pages of a good book, knocking on every hospital room door can bring the unexpected, it can bring raw, human experience, and the deepest, most heartfelt of emotions. The people I meet inside – both patients and their families – are the real champions here. Despite being faced with the most testing of times, they still get it: the immense power of a children’s book. Each book-shaped gift of joy, empathy, escapism, hope and adventure that we deliver, brings with it the unforgettable smile from a baby hearing mum singing a nursery rhyme, it brings giggles shared between toddlers and their siblings, children proudly showing off their new book to a passing doctor, in depth bookish debates between teen patients, and snippets of book recommendations between mums and staff who have witnessed the power of a good book as they pass on busy corridors. A true community of readers.”
John Devolle, Guest Artist
“The Crumlin Hospital Book gifting event was a wonderful morning. We were able to give the kids a much needed space to create, play and be silly for a short period of time. A rare opportunity for them to have some creative play, I noticed that it was also valuable for siblings of kids who were patients as they also were having to spend a lot of time in hospital, waiting around, We set the theme of 'Doggy Doodle' but they could draw whatever they wanted but the theme was good to get people started and to show that they had permission to doodle and do what they wanted. The drawing was also a wonderful way to get chatting with kids, find out what they were into and help with the book gifting choice, Eve McDonnell was amazing at connecting with kids and directing the right book to the right kid. And because she had an ongoing relationship with a lot of the children, she was even able to take me along to visit a child who couldn’t get along to the doodle draw, but was very interested in planets / space, so we met her and gifted her the PLANETS book, thanks to Eve.”
Ruth Ennis, Teen/YA Champion of Reading
“Working with the teenagers at Crumlin Hospital as part of the Read and Rhymes Together programme is as unique an opportunity as it is crucial. It gives young people going through some of their toughest days a little bit of light, with writing, art, and storytelling through gifting books that reflect their interests. It has been such rewarding work to help them facilitate their creativity, rediscover parts of themselves, and uncover new possibilities of who they can be.”
About Reads and Rhymes Together
Reads and Rhymes Together is a Children’s Health Ireland (CHI) wide initiative in partnership with Children’s Books Ireland, which seeks to create communities of readers in CHI. We know that parent and guardian-led reading in hospital forms important connections in simple but meaningful ways, and together, we want to inspire a culture of reading for joy across the paediatric healthcare setting, encouraging patients and families to spend time together within the pages of a book.
