Celtic Wonder-Tales  •  Ella Young  •  Maud Gonne LITERATURE •  1996 •  PAPER  • 203 PAGES • MIDDLE READERS (Age 9-12) A collection of 14 classic Celtic fairy tales, retold for 9 to 12 year-olds and featuring archival illustrations by none other than Maud Gonne, the home-rule activist who was Yeats's sometime muse. (IRE105, $7.95)
The Island of Horses  •  Eilis Dillon LITERATURE •  2004 •  HARD COVER  • 192 PAGES • MIDDLE READERS (Age 9-12) This award-winning children's mystery tells the story of two boys living in Inishrone, off the Connemara coast in western Ireland. When Pat and his friend Danny ignore the advice of their parents and visit the mysterious Island of Horses, their discovery of a beautiful black colt lands them in the middle of a full-blown adventure. (IRE132, $17.95)
The King of Ireland's Son  •  Padraic Colum  •  Willy Pogany LITERATURE •  1997 •  PAPER  • 320 PAGES • FAMILY A nicely illustrated collection of Irish folktales, first published in 1916. Beloved writer, poet and Columbia University Professor Colum includes, among the sly, humerous stories: "Fedelma, the Enchanter's Daughter," "When the King of the Cats Came to King Connal's Dominion," "The Town of the Red Castle," "The King of the Land of Mist," and "The House of Crom Duv." With full-page illustrations and decorations by Willy Pogány. (IRE157, $12.95)
Nory Ryan's Song  •  Patricia Reilly Giff LITERATURE •  2002 •  PAPER  • 148 PAGES • MIDDLE READERS (Age 9-12) A historical novel, set in western Ireland in 1845 and narrated by 12-year-old Nory Ryan, whose family faces starvation as a consequence of the potato blight. Atmospheric and compelling, this book is a fine introduction to the potato famine, English-Irish tensions and the Irish migration to America. Ages 10 to 12. (IRE106, $6.50)
Patrick, Patron Saint of Ireland  •  Tomi De Paola BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  1994 •  PAPER  • 30 PAGES • YOUNG READERS (Age 4-8) Trusty children's author/illustrator de Paola retells the story of Saint Patrick in this picture book geared for ages 5 to 8. (IRE104, $6.95)
When Irish Guys Are Smiling  •  Suzanne Supplee LITERATURE •  2008 •  PAPER  • 211 PAGES • YOUNG ADULTS Recovering from the loss of her mother, 17-year-old Delk Sinclair goes to Connemara to escape, and falls in love with everything Irish -- including a young Irishman. (IRE243, $6.99)
Wilderness  •  Roddy Doyle LITERATURE •  2007 •  HARD COVER  • 211 PAGES • MIDDLE READERS (Age 9-12) As Irish teenager Graainne anxiously prepares for a reunion with her mother, who abandoned the family years before, Graainne's half-brothers and their mother take a dogsledding vacation in Finland. Geared for ages 12-14. (IRE218, $16.99)
A Wizard Abroad  •  Diane Duane LITERATURE •  2001 •  PAPER  • 355 PAGES • MIDDLE READERS (Age 9-12) One in Duane's popular series of books about the schoolgirl wizard Nita, who in this episode travels to Ireland to aid Irish wizards, fight folkloric demons and drink tea with her auntie. Children 9 to 12 will enjoy this book's creative approach to Irish myth and legend. (IRE113, $6.95)