This is a subscriber-only article
The Whole Wild World’s Bus Tour is a multicolour 30-seat coach which will bring children’s writers and illustrators to schools, libraries and cultural venues along the west coast of Ireland this April.
The tour begins in Ireland’s most northerly point, Malin Head, Co Donegal, on Monday 15 April and concludes at Kinsale Library, Co Cork, on Sunday 28 April.
The Whole Wild World Bus Tour is the first major event of Laureate na nÓg Patricia Forde’s term as Ireland’s Children’s Literature Laureate.
Patricia says she is excited at the prospect of meeting young readers across the country.
“This tour is all about igniting imaginations and ensuring Ireland will have another generation of great writers and illustrators.
“This will be done by bringing creators to an audience that often doesn’t get a chance to meet them in their local area.”
Access to exciting experiences
Children’s Books Ireland CEO Elina Ryan says that it’s important that small towns, rural communities and remote schools get access to exciting and memorable experiences with books.
“Patricia wanted to bring together her two favourite groups – the children of Ireland and its writers and illustrators to share old stories and shape new ones.
“We know from research that Dublin and Leinster get a huge amount of provision in terms of creative events, but there is a little bit less in the west.
"The west mostly has concentrated areas that have theatres and venues.”
Elina also says that when the bus arrives in schools and theatres that children will be encouraged to make up new stories with their creative story starters.
“There will be a lot of tiny schools with less than 20 students who mightn’t have got a visit as well as other communities that would have a huge refugee population," she adds.
Stories
“It’s all about the stories of wherever you are from and other stories about Ireland, no matter how long you have been here or whether you go back generations. This will give everyone the chance to have that ownership of creativity.”
Following visits to schools in Leenane and Furbo on Friday 19 April, the colourful bus will arrive in Galway city on Saturday 20 April, with nine authors and illustrators to take over Middle Street for an afternoon of activities.
The programme includes a free interactive storytelling event for children in An Taibhdhearc at 2pm and free book clinics for families to discover tailored reading recommendations for children.
The day will also feature a ‘Monster Doodle’ draw-along with artists from 3pm on Middle Street and a ‘#Properbook: Making It Up as We Go Along’ at An Taibhdhearc for aspiring artists and illustrators from 6.30pm.
For more information and the full itiniary visit childrenslaureate.ie.
SHARING OPTIONS: