GLOBAL Shortlisted for the KPMG Children’s Books Ireland Awards 2024

Team Global are delighted that our new graphic novel, GLOBAL, has been shortlisted for KPMG Children’s Books Ireland Awards which will be announced in Dublin later this week. GLOBAL is written by Eoin Colfer & Andrew Donkin, with artwork by Giovanni Rigano. It’s a huge honour to have GLOBAL included in the amazing KPMG Books Ireland shortlist.

Eoin, Andrew, and Gio said: “We are beyond thrilled to see GLOBAL recognised on this shortlist alongside such a brilliant list of children’s books. We created GLOBAL because we believe climate change is the most critical issue facing children today – it is a work of fiction but every element in it, to do with climate change, is true. It’s not a story about what might happen in the future, the issues are real and they are all happening right now. We hope this book can start much-needed conversations in homes and classrooms across the world and inspire all readers – young and old – to face this issue head on, take action and make sure whoever comes next can inherit a beautiful, liveable planet. “

The KPMG Children’s Books Ireland Awards are the most prestigious of their kind in Ireland. The awards provide a significant opportunity for national and international recognition of Irish children’s authors and illustrators. Excellence in children’s books is the over-arching criterion and the following awards are made:

• The KPMG Children’s Books Ireland Book of the Year Award
• Honour Award for Fiction
• Honour Award for Illustration
• Eilís Dillon Award (for a first children’s book)
• The Judges’ Special Award
• The Junior Juries’ Award

Additionally, the Reading Hero Award is presented to a young reader, recognising their potential and celebrating their remarkable passion for books.

Huge thanks to everyone involved with Children’s Books Ireland for making this happen. The award ceremony itself will take place on Wednesday 22^nd May at 11.30am 2024 as part of the International Literature Festival Dublin in Merrion Square.

Long time readers might remember that our graphic novel, ILLEGAL, won the Judges’ Special Award back in 2018. Eoin has been carrying round that framed copy of the book ever since.

Here’s the full run down of all the excellent books, authors, and illustrators on the 2024 list. Congratulations to everyone listed. (Yes, Eoin has two books on the list because he is that good. So he tells me.)

April’s Garden, written by Isla McGuckin and illustrated by Catalina Echeverri (Graffeg).

Catfish Rolling by Clara Kumagai (Zephyr).

Global, written by Eoin Colfer and Andrew Donkin, illustrated by Giovanni Rigano (Hodder Children’s Books).

My Life as a Chameleon by Diana Anyakwo (Atom Books).

The First Move by Jenny Ireland (Penguin Random House).

The Girl Who Fell to Earth by the current Laureate na nÓg, Patricia Forde (Little Island Books).

The Hare-Shaped Hole, written by John Dougherty and illustrated by Thomas Docherty (Frances Lincoln Children’s Books).

Three Tasks for a Dragon, written by Eoin Colfer and illustrated by P.J. Lynch (Walker Books).

Treacle Town by Brian Conaghan (Andersen Press).

Wider Than the Sea, written by Serena Molloy and illustrated by George Ermos (Hodder Children’s Books).

History:

The awards have been presented each year by Children’s Books Ireland since 1990. They were known as the Bisto Book of the Year Awards until 2011, the awards were named the Children’s Book Ireland Book of the Year Awards until 2020 when a new title sponsor saw the name change to the KPMG Children’s Books Ireland Awards.