Leanne makes KPMG Children’s Book Ireland Awards shortlist
‘Why The Moon Travels’ written by Oein DeBhairduin and illustrated by Ballynoe artist Leanne McDonagh, has been
shortlisted for the KPMG Children’s Books Ireland Awards 2021.
Leanne’s black and white illustrations decorate the collection of stories, bringing them to life through the inspiration of Oein’s retellings.
A first of its kind, ‘Why The Moon Travels’ is a collection of stories that come from the Irish Traveller community, the Mincéirí, the Pavee, retold and illustrated by members of the Travelling community.
According to Leanne, art such as the illustrations included in the book, is a ‘ type of communication that can surpass cultural boundaries and divides’.
“My work has always been an expression of myself and it is vastly influenced by my childhood memories and personal experiences, which are ultimately those of an Irish Traveller,” the Fermoy native said.
According to the publisher, Skein Press: “For ‘ Why The Moon Travels’ she took inspiration from Oein’s re-tellings, which also reflect her own experiences of growing up a Traveller in Ireland, and created illustrations that represented flashbacks and reminiscences of these memories from her childhood.”
The stories were collected by DeBhairduin and retold with passion and lyricism, these are tales of giants, foxes and owls, of friendship, love and hunger, of famine, heartache and loss. In these stories, this world and the otherworld are intertwined, the personal is often used to explore the universal, and storytelling becomes a means of making sense of our surroundings.
The selection for the KPMG Children’s Books Ireland Awards 2021 is made up of a spread of books for young readers of all ages, from picture books to young adult novels, and of the eight shortlisted titles, five are published by independent Irish publishers.
The winners will be announced at an online ceremony on 25 May by book-loving broadcaster Rick O’Shea as part of the International Literature Festival Dublin.
Taking the role of ‘Young Judge’ for this year is Sarah Fitzgerald (17) from Kinsale, who has read ninety-nine books as part of the judging process.