Ahead of the celebration on 7th March 2024, Foras na Gaeilge is proud to announce Inis Mara by Tristan Rosenstock, illustrated by Mark Wickham and published by LeabhairCOMHAR as the World Book Day 2024 Irish-language title. The title joins a line-up of fifteen £1/€1.50 books as World Book Day continues to encourage children to experience the fun of reading and give each child a choice in what they read.  

Children and young people will be able to get Inis Mara for free when exchanged with a £1/€1.50 World Book Day token. Tokens will be distributed through schools, early years settings, and in a range of children’s magazines and can be redeemed in local bookshops and participating retailers from the 15th February – 31st March. Inis Mara will be made accessible in both braille and digital formats for the second year in a row in partnership with NCBI, alongside Irish-published title The Curious Case of the Irish Yeti: Molly Malone and Bram Stoker by Alan Nolan and illustrated by Shane Cluskey, published by The O’Brien Press. 

Cassie Chadderton, CEO, World Book Day said, “Encouraging children to read for pleasure is our charity’s mission. We want to support as many children as possible to experience the fun of reading and this year we want to celebrate children’s reading choices more than ever, especially in what and how they choose to read.  

Inis Mara is an inspiring book that will resonate with young people and we are so pleased it was selected as our Irish-language title for this year. It joins an incredible list of fun and engaging books that will spark children’s interest and encourage reading for pleasure!” 

Seán Ó Coinn, Foras na Gaeilge Chief Executive said, "We are thrilled to announce our continued support for World Book Day Ireland with the inclusion of an Irish-language title for the third consecutive year. Following on from the success of two Irish-language books for early readers, we are delighted that this year’s book will give fluent readers an opportunity to enjoy an Irish-language adventure story about climate change, the value of working with others, and the importance of the truth as part of World Book Day 2024. We are delighted that the Irish language will be at the heart of the campaign in Ireland once again with plenty of materials and resources for World Book Day 2024, including Irish-language audiobooks, bilingual information packs and book tokens for schools.” 

Inis Mara author, Tristan Rosenstock said “World Book Day Ireland is a wonderful initiative and it’s very exciting to think that Inis Mara will be read by thousands of young readers throughout the country. Reading for fun gives us all a chance to visit different places, and on World Book Day I hope young readers will escape to Inis Mara and follow Éabha’s adventures as she takes on a greedy leader who is destroying the planet for his own gain.” 

See the full £1/€1.50 book selection for 2024 at worldbookday.com/books.   

Ends 

Participating bookshops and retailers can order their World Book Day copy of Inis Mara from ÁIS at ais@forasnagaeilge.ie or (01) 661 6522 

Further information 

About Inis Mara 

The people of Inis Mara had a lovely life, and everyone was happy. But when 'an Santóir' becomes the leader, everything goes downhill, and he ruins the beautiful island with dirty air. There is a brave girl on the island who inspires everyone to take a stand and Éabha decides to do her best to stop 'an Santóir'. 

This is a modern adventure story about climate change, the value of working with others, and the importance of the truth. Readers both young and old will enjoy and benefit from Éabha's adventures as she tries to save her community from the crooked leader who is destroying the island. And the story reminds us over and over again that no man is an island. 

About World Book Day  

World Book Day changes lives through a love of books and reading. Our mission is to promote reading for pleasure, offering every child and young person the opportunity to have a book of their own. Reading for pleasure is the single biggest indicator of a child’s future success – more than their family circumstances, their parents’ educational background or their income. We want to see more children, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds, with a life-long habit of reading for pleasure and the improved life chances this brings them. Designated by UNESCO as a worldwide celebration of books and reading, World Book Day is marked in over 100 countries around the globe.  

www.worldbookday.com   

For more information about World Book Day Ireland 2024 visit www.worldbookday.com/about-us/ireland