Have you noticed how many extremely talented Irish illustrators there are out there at the moment? It certainly has been a good year for these imaginative artists and it seems Irish children are noticing their good works more than ever. There were five picture books on the shortlist for the 2011 Bisto Children’s Book of the Year Award!

Congratulations to Megan from Co Cork for winning last week's competition. The lucky girl wins Roald Dahl's Scrumdiddlyumptious Collection of books!

Hi everyone, 

Hope you are all ready for Halloween. I'm dressing up as a Corpse Bride and my sister Kaitlyn is dressing up as a vampire.

I've nearly finished my ninth book now. I'm looking forward to the mid-term break. Loads more time for reading!

So far my family and friends have helped me raise €1900 in off-line sponsorship. Some of my family & friends have used the 'Sponsor Abigail' page to help out too. Thank you to everyone! Maybe if you haven't had a chance yet you could check out the page.

Good luck with your reading!

Talk soon!

Thanks,

Abigail : )

We were delighted to take part in Readers and Writers Week at Loreto College Foxrock on Thursday. We were in good company, Amy Huberman was there too! This very kind invitation came from the same school whose Transition Year students volunteered to help out at our national Convention in September. We were thrilled to present each of these incredible students with a certificate for their volunteering efforts.

Well done to Roisin from Co Galway. She won last week’s competition, guessing correctly that the rabbit was indeed late for a very important date.

Hi there fellow Readers! 

Congratulations to Michael Breen, Dublin, for winning last week's competition. The answer was

The annual MS Ireland Reach for a Star campaign has kicked off! This year every time a generous business buys a star on the MS Christmas Tree, they will become a Friend of the MS Care Centre. This means their donation will be helping ensure essential repairs are made to the Centre. 

Walking into a library is like walking into another dimension. This particular dimension is one where anything is possible. In this world you can be anyone you want to be or go anywhere you want to go. Your Nintendo, your iPhone and your TV have little use here; in this world, a good book and your imagination is the only thing you need. 

The invaluable resource, mykidstime.ie is a one-stop shop for parents all across Ireland. Filled with up to date information on how to help families get the most out of every day, there are MyKidsTime groups and events happening up and down the country.