‘A hug runs all the way through this’: How to Catch a Star, based on the Oliver Jeffers book, returns to the Ark
This puppet show, which has been a huge hit for Branar, draws similar reactions from children all over the world
Oliver Jeffers
Artist and author
‘Over a million kids have come here’: 30 years of The Ark children’s cultural centre
Creative director Aideen Howard says facility remains unique on the international stage
Oliver Jeffers: ‘Culturally I feel Irish but I normally skirt around the question: where are you from?’
The children’s author, who grew up Catholic in Belfast, on complicated identities and how his marriage to a Protestant might have been trickier 10 years earlier
Oliver Jeffers: ‘It didn’t really occur to English people that Northern Ireland was British’
The picture book artist on his latest work, Brexit and living in Belfast versus Brooklyn
Molecules, metaphors and the place of science in culture
One is contained within the other, but how does that manifest itself?
Oliver Jeffers shrinks the solar system down to a 10km walking trail
The writer and artist explains his ambitious project to humanise our experience of the universe
If you build it, they will come: creating a new online children’s book festival
Award-winning children’s writer Sarah Webb explains the how and why of WonderFest
Oliver Jeffers: ‘I’ve got my wife’s bite marks tattooed on my finger’
The Belfast writer’s latest book, which features one of his favourite tattoos, is about changing the world through whimsical drawings and verse
The Irish Times view on the crisis in the arts: a fog of anxiety
Our artists and performers are in the front line of the Covid-19-induced economic crisis
A storm, a nap and a 200-year-old printing press: How Oliver Jeffers makes a book
The bestselling children’s author and illustrator on how The Fate of Fausto came into being
‘I have turned to the healing power of art from my sickbed’
Government investment in the arts should be viewed as more than just ‘nice to have’
Is this a golden age for children’s theatre? Oh, yes, it is
Work made for children used to be rare, but there's now a rich bounty of shows
John Boyne’s answer to breaking up: Call in the decorator
The best-selling author’s house was full of memories; interior designer Caroline Flannery gave it a whole new vibe
Oliver Jeffers: ‘I keep coming back to this idea of the stoic man’
The artist's latest picture book is about the way the fantasy worlds of children’s books create the fabric of the grown-up mind. He talks masculinity, maths and making art
Tale of yawning animals is the perfect bedtime treat
Reviews: ‘Goodnight Everyone’, ‘Nothing!’, ‘A Child of Books’, ‘The Bone Sparrow’ and ‘Non Pratt’s Unboxed ’
Anne Enright’s The Green Road wins top prize at Irish Book Awards
Joe Duffy, Sara Baume, Jim McGuinness, Louise O’Neill, Donal Ryan, Sinéad Gleeson and Niall Breslin among winners at Bord Gáis Energy Irish Book Awards 2015
Children’s books: imaginary friends and real-life enemies
Nicola Colton’s ‘A Dublin Fairytale’; Eoin Colfer and Oliver Jeffers’s ‘Imaginary Fred’ ; Michael Morpurgo’s ‘An Eagle in the Snow’; Rainbow Rowell’s ‘Carry On’
Children’s Books: Once Upon a Place, The Boy Who Fell off The Mayflower and The Day The Crayons Came Home
Two books showcase PJ Lynch’s superb illustrations, and the zany saga of the crayons continues, writes Robert Dunbar
Culture Shock: Children’s theatre is far from child’s play – so why overlook it?
‘Bees!’ and the rest of the Ark’s family season matched the quality of anything else at Dublin Theatre Festival this year, yet the media largely ignored them
Autism and exercise on a level playing pitch
Parent-led movement breaking down barriers to social and sports activities
The big draw: an A to Z of great children’s illustrators
Illustrations are a touchstone of children’s literature. Here is a potted guide to the artists behind some of the best-loved stories
From animated alphabets to cakes in space and on to degrading Dublin
‘Splintered Light’ is an intricate, ingenious novel, bringing together the stories of three British teenagers when they are sucked into the unsavoury world of adult criminality
Easy as ABC: how Oliver Jeffers hops between physics, picture books and fine art
The Belfast writer and artist’s well-loved picture books have given him a public profile that has aided his success in fine-art circles. Now a show based on one of his books is at Baboró in Galway
The story behind Beyond the Stars
Sarah Webb explains how she persuaded the cream of Irish children’s writers and illustrators to combine on an anthology to raise funds for Fighting Words
Baboró and beyond: Irish kids’ theatre comes of age
It’s not unusual to find our best theatrical talent working in children’s theatre, and given the calibre of the work there’s little wonder why
Review: The Way Back Home
Oliver Jeffers’ book jumps off the page and into space in this beautiful stage adaptation
A fresh spotlight on Irish language theatre
Is there a future beyond the local community for plays in Irish? A new generation of theatremakers are finding out
In CBI’s good books – just not in its excellent books
Children’s Books Ireland will shortly announce this year’s winners of its annual awards. The shortlist suggests that excellence is becoming harder to find
Crosswords & Puzzles
Crosswords & puzzles to keep you challenged and entertained
Stardust
Inquests into the nightclub fire that led to the deaths of 48 people
Common Ground
How does a post-Brexit world shape the identity and relationship of these islands
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Weddings, Births, Deaths and other family notices