BOLD GIRLS reading guide 2018
Published in 2018 to mark the centenary of women's suffrage in Ireland , BOLD GIRLS is a themed reading guide which highlights strong female role models, both fictional and non-fictional, in books for children and young people. The guide also celebrates and shines a spotlight on twenty excellent Irish female children's authors and illustrators.
"With the BOLD GIRLS project, our aim is to bring girls front and centre."
In 2018, to mark the centenary of women being granted the right to vote in Ireland, we published this guide with the aim of breaking down societal barriers and instilling confidence in girls and young women by showing them female characters in children's books with agency, power and opinions, and addressing at a young age some of the issues that stand in the way of women achieving their ambitions, whether that be in leadership, in government, in the arts. BOLD GIRLS highlighted and reviewed books that featured strong, intelligent, self-possessed female protagonists, as well as celebrating twenty female Irish authors and illustrators, both emerging and established, who have made an exceptional contribution to the canon of Irish children's literature.
Also included was a specialist section highlighting ten academic titles that deal with gender representation and disparity within children's texts. This guide was supported by a resource pack for schools and a separate academic review pack.
