I have some lovely news to share: Animals of Irish Name and Origin has been included in The Best Irish Books of 2026 – 100 great reads for ages 0–18, the annual reading guide from Children’s Books Ireland.
It is a lovely feeling to see my book among 100 books selected to showcase the work of Irish and Irish-based authors and illustrators. And, as someone who made the book from the first scribbled idea through research, writing, illustration, design and publishing, I’m particularly pleased to see it included in a guide intended to help young readers find their next book.
AGA GRANDOWICZ
ANIMALS OF IRISH NAME AND ORIGIN
NATURAL WORLD PUBLISHING 2026 (PBK) 124PP €26.00 ISBN 9781739813383
The author's strong passion for wildlife and conservation shines through in her presentation of forty-nine unique species named after Ireland or places within it.
Grandowicz shares original research gathered from her own efforts to trace facts on these unique animals, sadly noting a number of breeds are now extinct. This is a thoughtful and immersive guide, which highlights overlooked and lost strands of Irish culture and heritage, offering a deeper understanding of and connection to our living and past natural history. (Non-fiction, Age 8-10, 10-12) [FH] READ ALSO: Remarkable Creatures by Aga Grandowicz
A guide to Ireland’s children’s books
The Best Irish Books guide is produced annually by Children’s Books Ireland, the national organisation dedicated to developing a love of reading among children and young people and supporting the people who create and champion books for them.
The idea is wonderfully straightforward: make it easier for children, parents, teachers, librarians and anyone else looking for something good to read to discover the wealth of books being created in Ireland.
The 2026 edition brings together 100 books for readers aged from 0 to 18, covering a broad range of interests, ages and formats. It includes everything from picturebooks and non-fiction to fiction, graphic novels and verse, with books in both English and Irish. The guide also shines a light on the people making those books, from debut creators to established authors and illustrators.
That breadth is one of the things I like about it. Children's books are often treated as though they are one enormous category, when in reality a book for a three-year-old and a book for a sixteen-year-old have very little in common beyond the fact that someone has decided they belong on the children's shelf.
The guide recognises that. There is something for very young readers discovering books for the first time, as well as for older children and teenagers looking for stories, ideas and subjects that speak to them.
It is also a useful showcase for the talent behind Irish children's publishing. The 2026 guide features work by creators from across the island, including both established names and new voices.
A book about Irish animals
Animals of Irish Name and Origin sits slightly outside the usual storybook territory. It is a non-fiction book about 49 animals whose Irish names or words connected with them reveal something about the animals themselves, their habitats, or the way people have understood them over centuries.
I wanted it to be a book children could browse rather than read from beginning to end, and to help them learn a little more about these uniquely Irish species.
And, of course, there are the illustrations. I drew every animal by hand, this time using my iPad, and then brought the illustrations together with the typography and page design. My aim was to make the book feel contemporary and visually engaging while staying close to the real animals.
The book is also very much about language and place. Ireland's wildlife is part of its cultural landscape, and the names we have given animals can tell surprisingly good stories.
Why guides like this matter
One of the nicest things about a reading guide is that it can take some of the pressure out of choosing a book.
There are an awful lot of children's books published every year. For parents and carers, teachers and librarians, finding the right one can sometimes feel like trying to choose dinner from a menu with several hundred items and no descriptions. A curated guide gives people somewhere to start.
Children's Books Ireland describes its reading guides as resources to help readers discover excellent books and find their next great read. The organisation's wider work also focuses on making reading more accessible and encouraging schools, families and early-years settings to build positive reading cultures.
For Irish authors, illustrators and publishers, there is another important side to it. Being included means that a book can reach people who might otherwise never come across it. So yes, I am very happy that Animals of Irish Name and Origin has found its way into this particular list. And I'm even happier that it is sitting there alongside so many other Irish books being made for young readers.
The Best Irish Books of 2026 is available as a free digital guide from Children’s Books Ireland, and printed copies are also available in participating libraries and bookshops. If you're looking for something new for a young reader – or simply want to see what is being created in Irish children's publishing right now – it is well worth a browse.
And if you happen to come across Animals of Irish Name and Origin while you're browsing, do give it a look. There are 49 Irish animals waiting inside, and quite a few have better names than you might expect.
