Mairéad Mullaney

About Me

I’ve always believed in the power of books to connect readers with ideas, stories, themselves and others. I live in Dublin, Ireland and my career has spanned public and special libraries — from Dublin Public Libraries, Radió Teilifís Éireann (RTE) and Concern Worldwide to the Department of the Taoiseach (Prime Minister)and Department of Foreign Affairs — but the goal has always been the same: to match the reader with the right book.

Children’s books, especially picture books, hold a special place for me. Some children’s reading journeys are not easy, but often it just takes one book to spark imagination and create a lifelong bond with stories. If a child returns to a book night after night, that’s a sign they’ve found something that speaks to them — a rhythm, a voice, or a feeling that matters. That’s the magic of reading.

While working as a librarian in an educationally disadvantaged school in South Dublin, I saw at firsthand how picture books could inspire older readers also. My awareness of picture books deepened while undertaking a Master’s in Children’s and Young Adult Literature. My book reviews here capture that joy I hope, but also reflect that not all picture books can easily be categorised for specific ages.

This site is here to share that magic: to highlight beautifully crafted picture books, signpost useful resources, and point toward organisations that support reading, literacy, and children with different needs.

A Kerry County Councillor once told Máirín O’Byrne, former city librarian of Dublin to whom I dedicate this site, that “the sense of wonder in the child must always be kept alive.”