Interview with Dr. Siobhán Morrissey Rethinking Enid Blyton I thank Dr Siobhán Morrissey, University of Galway, School of Education, for her participation in this interview on Enid Blyton, primary school reading, reading practices, AI, Irish Indigenous literature and for sharing her personal reading experiences. Siobhán Morrissey specialises in studies on Enid Blyton and is busy… Continue reading Rethinking Enid Blyton
Tag: books
Why We Don’t Dream Like That: Rethinking Childhood and Fantasy in India
By Dr Supriya Baijal, Museum of Childhood Ireland’s Literature and Media Team member Introduction Growing up in India, I never stumbled upon enchanted wardrobes or magical portals in the books I read. Instead, I found lively fables, moral lessons, and clever folk tales—often featuring talking animals, wily tricksters, or noble kings. Stories like those from… Continue reading Why We Don’t Dream Like That: Rethinking Childhood and Fantasy in India
Olivia Daly’s Harry Potter Doll House 2015
From an upcycled Barbie house “My daughter Olivia who was 12 years old, and I designed the Harry Potter* house together. She was a big Harry Potter fan for years. She listened to the audio books most nights (she has dyslexia but had a passion for a good story). The movies had also been watched… Continue reading Olivia Daly’s Harry Potter Doll House 2015
World Book Day 2025!
Happy World Book Day 2025! The theme of this year is Read Your Way. Here at the Children’s Rights Team of the Museum of Childhood Ireland, we think this ties into a really important right that all children on this island have. Article 30 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child… Continue reading World Book Day 2025!
Remembering Jennifer Johnston: A Voice That Bridges Generations
“We read real books, right from the age of four up to 17. We also read history books. But it always seemed to me that history books were written by people who were trying to explain some enormous mess that we’d all got into but were never going to be able to explain. Whereas novelists… Continue reading Remembering Jennifer Johnston: A Voice That Bridges Generations
Leabhar
Upcoming: Leabhar Gaeilge and some books from/about Ireland and childhood in the museum’s collections will be display at BOI, Dúnlaoghaire in March 2026 Irish Language Children’s Books for Ages 0-18years Ages 0-3 Ages 3-6 Ages 6-9 Ages 9-12 Ages 12-15 Ages 15-18 Resources for Finding Irish language Books Many of these books are available through… Continue reading Leabhar
Desmond Morris: Exhibitions and Publications
See Desmond’s story for our “When We Were Kings and Queens of the Road” project below: DESMOND MORRIS BIBLIOGRAPHY 1958 – 2025 1. 1958. THE REPRODUCTIVE BEHAVIOUR OF THE TEN-SPINED STICKLEBACK. Brill, Leiden. 154p. (Doctor thesis) 2. 1958. THE STORY OF CONGO. Batsford, London. 64p. (for children) 3. 1959. THE INTERNATIONAL ZOO YEARBOOK. I. (Co-editor… Continue reading Desmond Morris: Exhibitions and Publications
When We Were Kings and Queens of the Road: Desmond Morris
WALKING TO SCHOOL When Britain declared war on Germany on 3rd September 1939, I was an eleven-year-old schoolboy. I was a day boy at the Swindon High School, and walked there and back each day on my own. It was a distance of about a quarter of a mile. I kept mostly to main streets,… Continue reading When We Were Kings and Queens of the Road: Desmond Morris
Michael Farry on Reading in Childhood
Rockfield NS showing the original two rooms of the school. These are now a small section of a much enlarged school. On reading in primary school, and with a special mention of the Famous Five, Enid Blyton series Books were scarce in rural Sligo in the 1950s and early 1960s when I attended our small… Continue reading Michael Farry on Reading in Childhood
Rediscover Timeless Tales
Rediscovering Timeless Tales: The Enduring Magic of Joan Aiken, Mollie Hunter, and Violet Needham Introduction: An Invitation to Revisit Forgotten Classics I often return to books from my childhood—the kind of stories that offered wonder, excitement, and a hint of danger. It’s like reconnecting with an old friend: comforting, familiar, but always full of surprises. Recently,… Continue reading Rediscover Timeless Tales