Planning on visiting Ireland with young kids? Find out 6 children books about Ireland and its history that will spark your kids’ interest in this wonderful country.
One of my favourite ways to get the kids excited about an upcoming trip is to read them books about the country we are about to visit. This applies to faraway places but also to our very own Ireland, more familiar maybe but by all means as interesting and rich in history than many faraway shores.
Lately, possibly because of the recent celebrations of the centenary of the 1916 rising, many children books abut Ireland have made an appearance in bookshops. 6 of them have caught my eye and sparked interest in my kids.
They are all lovely books, very different from each other, and they are a great introduction to the country and good travel companions if you are exploring Ireland with young kids.
Our 6 favourite children books about Ireland 2017
I have selected the following books because they are the ones my two kids (5 and 6 years old) enjoy reading the most.
Please note: the images on this post come from amazon and if you click on them you will be redirected to the Amazon US store. At the end of each paragraph, I have also added a link to the UK store for your convenience.
Let’s see Ireland
Let’s see Ireland is a hardcover book following Molly on her family holiday around Ireland.
With her mum and dad, Molly travels around Ireland by car seeing beautiful and historically important places such as Dublin, Glendalough, the Cliffs of Moher and the Giant Causeway.
The book is lovely for local kids, who will recognise familiar places, and for foreigners alike as it touches on localities they are likely to visit during a stay in the Emerald isle.
What my kids love the most about this book are the lovely illustrations and the little touches, such as the parallel story of Mipsy the cat who, unseen, joins the family adventure. Click here
If you are planning a family road trip in Ireland, don’t forget to check our family friendly Ireland itinerary with stops for all ages
A Dublin fairytale
This is one of our favourite books and one I have already mentioned in my post about children books to spark curiosity about the world.
The book follows the adventures of young Fiona, a Dublin girl who wears a red hood and who is in charge of bringing a basket of goodies to her granny. While the story sounds familiar, the surroundings are what make it special. Fiona’s walk to her grandmother’s house makes her stroll along some of Dublin’s main landmarks and encounter some peculiar characters.
My kids love to see their city depicted in the book. A fun way to make the story come alive for them is to do what a friend of mine did with her three kids: plan a walking tour of Dublin city centre following Fiona’s itinerary!
Click here
Irelandopedia and activity book
The ‘Irelandopedia’ comes as two separate books, one with maps, facts and knowledge about Ireland, and an activity book.
My kids are particularly fond of the activity book: it is full of colouring pages and complete with a gorgeous pull out map of Ireland.
Page after page, Irlandopedia teaches kids about the most significant landmarks in the country (Kilkenny castle, Rock of Cashel and more), Ireland wildlife and Ireland’s most famous personalities, from James Joyce to Van Morrison. Click here
Ancient Ireland colouring book
We found this book in the shop attached to the Long Room in Trinity College and the kids are exceptionally fond of it.
The book is full of elaborate drawings of ancient Irish carvings, statues and villages accompanied by short explanations of each scene. They are a pleasure to colour (even for adults!) and the captions are very informative.
What I love about it is that it adds to the task of colouring the extra element of historical education, something many other colouring books lack.
Click here
Irish legends for children
More complex to read than the ones mentioned above, because of the nature of the stories narrated, I like it because it allows kids to get familiar with a part of Irish heritage that they would otherwise never encounter in their daily life. They also add a touch of magic to the landscapes and castle they’ll see when travelling in the Irish countryside.
Click here
Pigín of Howth
The book has beautiful illustrations and it is lovely especially for local kids as it is set in Howth, a very popular destination for family days out from Dublin. You can click here for details on where Howth is and why you should include it in your Dublin itinerary
Click here
I hope you enjoyed my list of children books about Ireland. Are you planning a trip here? If so, make sure you also check out our articles about Ireland.
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