Young readers across Laois are invited to take part in this year's Children's Book Festival through Laois Libraries.

This October, Laois Library Service will bring the Children’s Book Festival 2025 to schools across the county as part of the national 'Right to Read' initiative.

Throughout October, a wonderful line-up of authors, illustrators, and storytellers will visit library branches to share their stories, run workshops, and inspire creativity in the classroom.

As part of the festival, famous children's authors will also visit Laois schools for exciting readings, talks and Q&A's for students.

This year’s schools’ programme features:

• Jen Wallace: children's author and poet, with her hilarious Dinosaur Pie series
• Caroline Busher: award-winning writer of historical fiction for young readers
• Eilish Fisher: poet and author of the prize-winning verse novel Fia and the Last Snow Deer
• Martina Smith: storyteller and author of the lively Mrs. Books series
• Natasha Mac a'Bháird: author of the Star Club books and the Sycamore Hill mysteries
• Dave Rudden: bestselling writer of Knights of the Borrowed Dark and the new Conn of the Dead
• Ellen Ryan: journalist and author of Girls Who Slay Monsters and Gods Don't Cry
• Alan Nolan: illustrator and author of Sam Hannigan, Fintan's Fifteen, and many more.

Four lucky Laois schools will also have the opportunity to become published authors themselves!

Schools in Abbeyleix, Mountmellick, Portlaoise and Rathdowney will collaborate with the Fighting Words Laois team as part of the festival.

Fighting Words is a creative writing programme, originally founded by Roddy Doyle and Seán Love, that helps children and young people of all ages discover the power of their imagination and the joy of storytelling.

"The stories they create will contribute to the second volume of our Story Seeds series," a Laois Libraries representative shared.

"Following the success of last year’s Story Seeds: The Great Laois Mash-Up, this new collection will showcase even more of the incredible imagination and talent of Laois’s young writers."

The finished book will be published and launched later this year.

In total, there will be 16 author events across library branches, with multiple class groups invited to each session.

This means hundreds of children will have the opportunity to meet writers, ask questions, and experience the magic of books first-hand.

"Alongside these visits, we’re also running four Fighting Words workshops, where young writers will help create the second 'Story Seeds' publication – following the huge success of last year’s 'Story Seeds: The Great Laois Mash-Up'," the representative finished.

For more on the event, see here.

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