Introduction
www.gaeilge.ie
Foras na Gaeilge is the body responsible for the promotion of the Irish language throughout the island of Ireland and it supports Irish language education. This site gives information on organisations, groups, schools, summer camps, Irish courses and classes, Gaeltachts and more.
www.ala.org/greatsites
This site was developed by the American Library Association and provides a detailed list of great sites for children.
www.dawcl.com
This is a database of award-winning children’s literature.
www.booktrusted.co.uk
For teachers, parents, librarians and young adults, this site allows you to search by author, title, children’s publishers and more. There are tips for parents and links to Book Trust and other organizations involved in children’s literature such as Book Aid International, the British Dyslexia Association.
www.rif.org.uk
Reading is Fundamental is an initiative of the National Literacy Trust (U.K.). It involves volunteers and families in reading projects. This is a U.K. based site and the reason it is listed is because it gives good advice to parents about choosing books for kids, it has a FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) page and tips of giving help with reading and dealing with different age groups.
http://picturingbooks.imaginarylands.org
This site is informative and educational. It explains what picture books are and how they work. The site has good links and resources and is well worth a visit.
www.cdipage.com
This is the Child Development Institute website. It has sections on reading and how to improve your child’s reading and learning ability; dyslexia, its causes and how parents and teachers can deal with dyslexia. This site also has links to other pages related to learning difficulties.
www.childrensbooksireland.com
Children’s Books Ireland (CBI) is the national children’s book organisation of Ireland. The aim of CBI is to promote quality children’s books and reading throughout the country. It runs a number of events each year including the Children’s Book Festival in October.
www.teenreads.com
This is part of the book report network which is a group of websites founded in 1996, that share thoughtful book reviews, features, author profiles and interviews, excerpts from new releases, literary games and contests.
Sites for Older Children and Teen Readers
www.skool.ie
This is a collaboration between AIB, The Irish Times and Intel Ireland. It focuses on the Irish Junior and Senior school cycle and it helps students learn and revise for their exams. In particular the English section helps with literature, media studies and grammar.
www.scoilnet.ie
Developed by the Department of Education & Science in conjunction with the National Centre for Technology in Education, this site is geared towards primary and secondary students, with pages for parents, teachers and school managers also. It has interactive games and stories as well as excercises in comprehension, looking at all areas of the curriculum.
www.cool-reads.co.uk
Created by Tim and Chris Cross in 2001 when they were 11 and 13 respectively, this is a site for teen readers and it is really good. It has over 2,500 reviews by young readers for young readers. Subjects are listed from a teen perspective. Other subjects include school, racism and discrimination, sports, computers, time-travel, magic and witchcraft, bullying, friends and family and lots more. It really is a great site with recommendations from writers, teachers and kids.
www.redhouse.co.uk
Redhouse is an online bookseller and sponsor of the Redhouse Children’s Book Award,
www.redhousechildrensbookaward.co.uk, which is apparently the only children’s book award decided by children. The site has a number of good features and cheaper prices than the recommended retail price. But always keep in mind that books at your local library are free.
www.ms-society.ie/msreadathon
MS Ireland’s Readathon takes place every Autumn. Children collect their sponsorship applications either from school or the local library, and they are sponsored to read as many books as they can during the allotted time. The scheme is very successful and raises money for the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Ireland.
