Picture This reading guide

Published in 2022, 'Picture This/Amharc! Breathnaigh! Féach!' is a celebration of illustration.

The guide features over 230 recommended reads for children and young people aged 0–18, which have been reviewed by experts in children’s literature. Each review is accompanied by a ‘Read also’ recommendation, bringing the total of books included to over 450.

Picture This focuses on books with strong visual narratives, including wordless or silent books; graphic novels and comics; picturebooks for all ages and graphic diary-style texts. The guide aims to highlight books, series and texts that might encourage reluctant readers or those with language barriers to engage with reading.

Children's Books Ireland CEO, Elaina Ryan, said:

Picturebooks are a child’s first introduction to stories, to their own small world and the greater world around them, to colours and shapes. They are works of art, with some telling complex stories using no words at all. Too often, when a child reaches a certain age they are ‘weaned off ’ picturebooks towards chapterbooks with more text and fewer illustrations. This guide not only recommends wonderful illustrated texts, but sends a clear message that there is no need to graduate from images to text – visual literacy is crucial, too, and stories with pictures are for everyone.

Cover illustration by Ashwin Chacko

Reviews Editors: