Books with author Siobhan Parkinson

Eight ancient legends of Ireland, told for younger children by an acclaimed Irish writer and reviewer. The stories are all linked by themes of magic and enchantment, and are perfectly matched by Irish illustrator Olwyn Whelan's brightly coloured and decorative paintings.The stories included are: Butterfly Girl;The Children of Lir;Labhra with the horse's Ears;The Enchanted Birds; Cu Chulainn and Emer; The Enchanted Deer; The Land Under the Waves; Oisin in Tir na nOg.

Michelle is a city girl who visits the country for the first time and is rudely awakened to the differences between city life and country life. To her, cows are wild animals who are ready to pounce. She can't get used to the place at all-having to wear galoshes all the time, wild animals in the gardens, lambs in the kitchen, no street lights, no stores, and mud everywhere. But somehow Michelle learns to have fun on the farm and discovers that a trip to the country is a great vacation.

A witty short story from the collection, BEYOND THE STARS, written and illustrated by two Irish talents in children’s fiction todayThe first great snowfall of winter and Brian and his friends can’t contain their excitement. They rush out to play in this magical new world before the daylight fades. Noticing a glistening above them, the children see the snow-laden boughs of the trees are dripping in icicles, each one dressed in a ribbony wisp of gold. ‘Ice fairies…’ Brian breathes in wonder.Trying to get a closer look, no one is sure whether or not the fairies are real, and as delicate white flakes start falling from the sky, they are soon distracted from finding out by throwing snowballs and having fun. Will anyone remember about the fairies, hanging silently from the trees? Or notice a mysterious old man sitting on a bench, trailing golden ribbon from his pocket…A magical and imaginative tale brought to life by beautiful illustrations.Look out for the other eleven stories, also available as e-shorts!

These 20 illustrated essays are on Irish women, historical and contemporary, who have defied cultural norms around femininity and achieved great things. The subjects include Irish women from Queen Medhbh to Eileen Gray, from Constance Markievicz to Sonia O'Sullivan, covering stateswomen, artists, writers, activists, and rebels of all kinds. This book is published to celebrate the centenary of women's suffrage, and Irish women's remarkable achievements over the centuries.

Cindy, a with-it and cynical young teen, still traumatised by her mother's recent death, is appalled when her father falls in love with one of her teachers, a woman with two teenage daughters of her own. Surely he can't be serious? She cannot imagine a worse fate than having a teacher as her stepmother, and as for the two prissy girls - she is never going to call them sisters ... no way!But, if Cindy dislikes her prospective stepsisters, they think she is an absolute horror - spoiled, arrogant and atrociously rude to them and their mother when they visit her house. Whatever about their mother marrying again, they can't imagine being landed with Cindy as a sister ... no way!But the parents are going to marry, and the girls are going to be family, like it or not. So who gives in? Is there any room for compromise? Will the unlikely trio of stepsisters ever change their minds about each other?TWO GREAT BOOKS IN ONEIn a unique feature the girls' stories are told in two separate back-to-back books, one for Cindy and the other for Ashling and Alva. The reader can choose which story to begin with, getting a very different viewpoint on the girls depending on whose side of the story they read first.Cover of Ashling's diary:

Ricky has withdrawn from the world into his own inner space. Placed in a foster home which is full of sunshine and goodness, he is uncertain how to become part of family life. He often retreats to his favourite hideaway, a special chair in the attic, and adopts the pose of the Moon King. From this situation relationships slowly begin to grow ... but it is not a smooth path and at times Ricky just wants to leave it all behind.

A new tale in a traditional style. Great Uncle Fergus gives a gold coin, a silver coin and a copper coin to his three nieces, Tall One, Middling and Littlest. Now, you can buy lots of lovely things with gold and silver, but what can the Littlest girl do with her copper coin? Why did she get stuck with that one? Large print and uncomplicated text with illustrations on every page make this ideal for beginner readers.

The sequel to Cows Are Vegetarians. Sinead and Dara, Michelle's country cousins, come up to 'the big smoke' to visit Michelle and her mum. The bright lights and fast life of the big city take her cousins by surprise, but Michelle delights in showing off her cosmopolitan ways! A witty and engaging account of a visit to the weird and wonderful city of Dublin, where Sinead and Dara struggle to understand the curious local customs. Red Flag 11

Written with sensitivity, humour and a lightness of touch, HEART-SHAPED is a companion to Siobhan Parkinson's highly-acclaimed novel, BRUISED - for fans of Meg Rosoff, Aidan Chambers and David Levithan. Annie makes a startling discovery one day - and everything changes. She fears for the safety of her boyfriend Jonno, who has vanished, knowing he is in desperate trouble. Feeling alone, she clings to her dad, her only parent, but he can't fill in all the gaps in the puzzle that is Annie's life. Nor can her best friend. To do that, Annie has to look into her past and understand who her mother was, what happened to her and why. So the truth behind Jonno's disappearance - which is the story in BRUISED - becomes a mirror for what's happening in Annie's own life. The reader is desperate for him to come back, so that Annie can fully fit the pieces of her existence back together.