GREAT NEWS for the authors of children’s books in Ireland: Puffin, the children’s imprint of the Penguin publishing group, is setting up in Ireland. Puffin Ireland is being established here by Penguin Ireland whose managing director Michael McLoughlin said there was a wealth of talented children’s authors here.
He was confident they could create more best-sellers both in Ireland and abroad with their forthcoming children’s titles. Next year is Puffin’s 70th birthday and Puffin Ireland will publish its first books as part of the anniversary celebrations.
The imprint will be headed up by Paddy O'Doherty. As editor of the new imprint she hopes to nurture new writing talent for children. O'Doherty, who worked with the organisation, Children's Books Ireland (CBI), for many years, has a master's degree in children's literature. A former editor of the CBI magazine INIS, she was also administrator of the major Irish children's book prizes, the Bisto Awards, for the last five years. "Puffin played a very significant role in my childhood and formative reading experience," said O'Doherty who until her Puffin appointment edited BookFest 2009, CBI's annual recommended reading guide to children's titles.
Famous for its little Puffin logo, the first Puffin story book featured a man with broomstick arms called Worzel Gummidge.
Though hard initially for Puffin to find its feet with paper rationing during the second World War and libraries still wanting childrens books in hardback, the imprint in time took off. In 1967, Puffin editor Kaye Webb started the Puffin Book Club, the aim of which was to make children into book readers: it’s still going strong .
Ballet Shoesby Noel Streatfeild; The Lion, the Witch and the Wardbrobeby CS Lewis; Tom's Midnight Gardenby Philippa Pearce; Charlotte's Webby EB White; Charlie and the Chocolate Factoryby Roald Dahl and Watership Downby Richard Adams are among the iconic titles on the Puffin list. Best-selling Irish writer Eoin Colfer, famous for his Artemis Fowlbooks, is also a bright star in the Puffin constellation. With creative writing faculties and courses now abounding, there will be many aspiring children's scribes out there hoping to be discovered by O'Doherty.
Writers can submit manuscripts to Puffin Ireland, 25 St Stephen’s Green, Dublin.
Fuller submission guidelines are available at www.penguin.ie