The Wonder Of Yule

Read it and eeek…

e last spoke with Aga Grandowicz back in September 2020, as she transformed a dull Greystones wall into the sort of underwater mural that would make Jacques Cousteau smack a fish.

Since then, the wildlife artist and designer has been busy, not only making our world a more colourful place but also releasing a series of illustrated books.

And now, following the likes of Remarkable Creatures: A Guide To Some Of Ireland’s Disappearing Animals and, alongside author Rob Maguire, Dr Hibernia Finch’s Compelling Compendium Of Irish Animals, comes Wild Wonders: An Anthology Of Short Nature Stories For Children.

Which, as you may have already guessed, is an anthology of short nature stories. For children.

“This is actually a fantastic collaboration with 22 talented artists, illustrators and writers that I’m lucky to be a part of,” explains Aga. “People like Patricia Forde, Gina McCrudden, Sheena Wilkinson, Muireann Ní Chíobháin, Meg Grehan, Sadhbh Devlin, E.R. Murray, Deirdre Sullivan, Georgia Lininger and Caroline Busher.

“And Because Halfway Up The Stairs has been such a wonderful platform for children’s books in Ireland, we actually got owner Trish Hennessy to do the introduction!”

Well, Trish is the proprietor of Ireland’s Bookshop Of The Year, after all. So, proper order, and all that.

You can find out more about Wild Wonders right here, go check it out at Halfway here, and explore the work of Ms Grandowicz right about here.