Offaly author's work features among best Irish titles of 2026
Authored by Offaly-native Christopher Galvin, ‘The Thing About Giants’ has featured in The Best Irish Books of 2026, a free guide by Children’s Books Ireland which was launched a few days ago. Blending the genres of fantasy and adventure, the novel also touched upon the themes of friendship, overcoming prejudice, courage and empathy.
The reading guide showcases the best Irish publications for young readers in 2026 across fiction, non-fiction, graphic novels and verse, and features over a 100 titles written or illustrated by an Irish-born or Irish-based artist.
As children return to school routines, the reading guide is a gentle nudge by the national charity to parents to make time for leisure reading. It features reviews in English and Gaeilge, and includes books for all ages up to 18, including The Thing About Giants (Walker Books), by Christopher, a Croghan native.
In their recently published ‘Children and young people’s reading in Ireland’ report, Children’s Books Ireland found that 23% of children and young people read for fun on a daily basis and this rises to 46% amongst those whose parents are daily readers. With schools reopening this month, the charity hopes that families and classrooms will continue to carve out time to read for enjoyment and help more children to see themselves as readers.
Elaina Ryan, CEO of Children’s Books Ireland, said: “Our guide is a free resource available to all, it’s a map to help discover a great Irish book and a support to those seeking to foster or reignite reading for fun for the children and young people in their lives.”
“For some children, the summer holidays may have been spent devouring as many books as possible, but for others, the return to school might also be a return to reading. We have to be careful that families don’t conflate the two, and that there is time for reading just for fun in children and young people’s lives. The enjoyment of reading is essential if our children are to become lifelong readers and reap the benefits that come from this.
‘The Best Irish Books of 2026’ reading guide is available as a free download at www.childrensbooksireland.ie. Free copies are also available in participating bookshops and in libraries nationwide.