Futa Fata nominated for six awards for children’s books
Six titles from Spiddal-based children’s publisher Futa Fata, have been shortlisted for the Oireachtas na Gaeilge Publishing Awards, the winners of which will be announced in October. The Oireachtas awards are the leading prizes in in Irish-language literature for children and adults and have three categories.
Gradam Uí Shuilleabháin celebrates excellence for adult readers, Gradam Réics Carló is the children’s books award and Gradam de Bhaldraithe, a category that was added a few years ago, celebrates excellence in translation.
Four of Futa Fata’s shortlisted titles are in the children’s books category, Gradam Réics Carló. They include the novel Ar Strae by well-known Galway author, Patricia Forde, which is is the first fictional depiction of the Direct Provision system. Written for older readers, Ar Strae is the story of Nizar, a young refugee who just wants a friend and is illustrated in graphic style by Dublin illustrator John White.
There are a further three nominations in this category – all for younger readers. County Down author Máire Zepf and illustrator Paddy Donnelly from Antrim have been nominated for two awards each, jointly and separately. Together, they are nominated for the NASA-inspired MÍP, a book about a little robot sent to Mars to look for alien activity, which Máire wrote and Paddy illustrated.
For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.
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