The Whole Wild World Bus tour has come to an end. I was one of over thirty authors and illustrators invited on board the bus as it made its way down Ireland’s beautiful west coast. I was on the tour for 2 days of the two-week tour and it was quite simply magical.
What is the Whole Wild World Bus Tour?
The Whole Wild World Bus Tour is a unique and creative roadshow that brings together over 30 children’s authors and illustrators to travel along Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way. The tour started at Malin Head, Co. Donegal at the very tip-top of Ireland on Monday 15th of April and arrived at is final destination down south in Kinsale, Co. Cork on the 28th of April.
Led by our Laureate na nÓg, writer Patricia Forde, the tour covered a distance of 1,400km. (If you are not familiar with Laureate na nÓg, she is Ireland’s Children’s Literature Laureate. Laureate na nÓg is an honorary title awarded to a renowned children’s author or illustrator in Ireland. )
‘I want to bring together my two favourite groups of people – the children of Ireland, and the writers and illustrators we have in such abundance – to shape new stories, and share old ones. Simply put, we’re bringing books and their creators to an audience that doesn’t often get a chance to meet them. The spark for a new story is never very far away, and with the Whole Wild World Bus Tour, we’re hoping to bring it that little bit closer.’
– Patricia Forde, Laureate na nÓg
Meet, Greet, Read, Draw
On its journey from North to South, the bus stopped at various locations including schools, theatres, bookshops, and cultural venues, to meet, greet, read, draw and generally have a ton of fun. The tour aimed to engage with young readers in parts of Ireland that generally would not have had a visit from children’s books authors and illustrators.
Each kilometre of the journey was marked by gifting a book to children along the way, and spreading the joy of reading and storytelling. The tour was an incredible collaborative effort by Children’s Books Ireland, the Arts Council, and other organisations.
The Magical Mystery Bus & Me
I joined the bus tour on Friday 19th of April, in one of my favourite places in Ireland – Beautiful Galway City. After meeting with my fellow authors and illustrators we hit the road to the Gaelteacht village of Furbo in Connemara, to visit Scoil na bhForbacha.
When the bus, which at this point had been nicknamed the bubble bus due to its brightly coloured exterior, arrived at the school, it’s fair to say the kids went absolutely nuts. In a good way. It was like the Beatles had arrived. The excitement of the school children on meeting Laureate Trish and the authors and illustrators was beautiful to watch. The school itself is in a magical spot overlooking the Atlantic.
Each author and illustrator took a different class for a workshop. My workshop with 2nd class was based on my book Wonder-Vet: The Amazing Adventures of Aleen Cust. She was the first female vet in Ireland and Britain and was born in Tipperary. A cheer went up in the class when I told the kids that Aleen had practiced as a vet in County Galway at one stage.
Learning From My Peers
Back on the bus, I had some great chats and received advice from my fellow passengers. Working as an author and illustrator can be an isolating experience at times. One of the reasons I joined Illustrators Ireland was to meet up with my fellow illustrators. So chatting on the bus about doing kids workshops, writing retreats, writing, illustrating and so much more, was also a complete buzz. You quickly find out that we all face similar problems and fears.
The next stop was Kenny’s Book Shop just outside Galway. This is such a beautiful bookshop and one my husband regularly buys books online from. I texted him to say I was there and ask did he want anything 🙂
Kenny’s has a long-standing tradition of taking photographs of individual authors and illustrators when they visit the shop and it’s fascinating to walk around and see famous and not-as-famous faces on the walls.
Super Saturday In A Scorchio City Centre
Saturday was a big day in Galway. Laureate Trish hails from Galway and the sun was shining brightly, clearly welcoming her home. It’s hard to express how welcome that bit of sun was for all of us. It felt like it had been raining non-stop in Ireland for at least 5 years and the day dawned with a beautiful sunrise and dry weather.
The first thing on the agenda was a stroll to visit two bookshops for book signing. We received a warm welcome in Dubrays in Shop Street and in Charlie Byrnes on Middle Street. The children’s section in Charlie Byrnes is one of the nicest I’ve ever been to and is carefully curated by Meabh McDonnell, who is also an author.
After lunch, Trish Forde, Dave Rudden, Sarah Webb, Myra Zeph and Niamh Sharkey all took to the stage at An Taibhdhearc. Trish truly is a master storyteller and she had the kids eating out of the palm of her hands with her hilarious stories.
The Monster Doodle took place in glorious sunshine on Middle Street, which had been closed especially for the event. The Monster Doodle was led by former Laureate na nÓg Niamh Sharkey with Ashwin Chacko, Paddy Donnelly and myself drawing scary and not-so-scary monsters with the young artists joining us. A huge amount of fun was had by all.
In the evening the “Properbook: Making It Up as We Go Along” event was hosted by Sarah Webb with guests Niamh Sharkey and Siobhan Parkinson – both former Laureate na nÓg. This event is all about how to write and illustrate for children and young people. It’s a brilliant source of info for anyone interested in getting into the world of children’s book publishing.
A Big Pile Of Thank Yous
The Whole Wild World Bus Tour was such an incredible experience for me. I enjoyed every moment of it. From the time visiting the school for workshops to the monster doodle on a sunny Middle Street. It was a huge amount of fun.
Massive thanks to Laureate na Nog, Patricia Forde, who dreamt up the whole fabulous idea of putting a friendly bunch of authors and illustrators on a bus together.
Ginormous thanks to the gang from Children’s Books Ireland who had every single thing so beautifully arranged. Truly amazing considering the logistics involved. In the photo on the right, you can see Jenny Murray, Emma Carvill, Ruth Ní Eidhin and Elaina Ryan.
And finally thanks to my fellow passengers, authors and illustrators, on my leg of the trip for all the great chats, advice and insider info!
Myra Zeph, Aine Ni Ghlinn, Ashwin Chacko, Paddy Donnelly, Niamh Sharkey, Sarah Webb, Padraig Kenny, Chris Haughton and Dave Rudden.
And of course, we spent a bit of time talking (book) shop at Neachtains – one of Galway’s finest pubs.
