At Children’s Books Ireland we champion diverse and inclusive books that best reflect the world, with characters of all genders and sexualities and families of all kinds. We believe that everyone deserves to see their story within the pages of an excellent book.
The Read with Pride reading guide 2026 contains 100 LGBTQ+ inclusive stories for young readers aged 0–18 with 100 recommended ‘read also’ titles for further reading.
When April is invited to spend the weekend in a remote country house with the handsome Carl and his wealthy friends, the offer seems too good to refuse – even with a spate of recent killings making headlines in Cork. But when a masked killer shows up at their door and begins to hunt her new friends for sport, April will have to rely on everything she’s learned from horror films to survive the night.
Being a newcomer can be tough, especially at a new school. Here, we explore the difficult emotions that accompany that first day, in a compassionate and supportive way. Without minimising the fear and apprehension a child may feel, pastel shades, simple design and a gentle rhythm in the text provide a comforting exploration of what to expect. Emphasis is placed on the faces and body language of a diverse cast of characters throughout. Each character is expertly illustrated to convey the emotional tone, making the shifts understandable to younger audiences.
‘I loved you from the beginning,’ reads the love letter from the future that shapes Emma’s final year of high school and sets her on a new trajectory in all facets of her life.
Eleven-year-old Finn N.O. Hope is back for another instalment of cringe-inducing tales.
From our very first glimpse of Bear, readers are instantly amused as he searches for his glasses, which we can see perched upon his head. On his way to track them down, Bear mistakes objects like trees and shrubs for other animals such as deer, a flamingo and even a crocodile.
The Pumpkin Seed explores a sweet analogy between a newly blended family alongside the growth cycle of a pumpkin plant – a beautifully profound, yet simple concept.
Squad Girls follows four besties as they navigate their dream of playing sport and athletics professionally. Tara, Ríona, Sam and Penny each are passionate and driven about different pursuits, from swimming to dance, and they must face obstacles in putting in the dedication needed alongside school and other commitments.
Olivia Shivers discovers a world of ghosts under her nose because of her special inherited S-sense and joins S.C.A.R.E. – a team of secret agents who keep ghosts in check. This is her first adventure as she solves a spooky mystery and sets out to save her grandpa.
Paying homage to some of Dublin’s greatest characters (O’Casey’s fictional Juno and the real-life Lugs Branigan) and America’s literary and film icons (Harper Lee’s fictional Jem and the actual child movie stars Shirley Temple and Judy Garland), Nolan has created a high-octane escapade that is a love letter to the Golden Age of Cinema.
