What constitutes a 'national literature' is rarely straightforward, and it is especially complex when discussing writing for young people in an Irish context. Until recently, there was only a slight body of work that could be classified as 'Irish children's literature' (whatever the parameters) in comparison with Ireland's contribution to adult literature in the twentieth century. This volume looks critically at Irish writing for children from the 1980s to the present, examining the work of many writers and illustrators and engaging with all the major forms and genres. Topics include the gothic, the speculative, picturebooks, poetry, post-colonial discourse, identity and ethnicity, and globalization. Modern Irish children's literature is also contextualized in relation to Irish mythology and earlier writings, thereby demonstrating the complexity of this fascinating area. The contributors, who are leading experts in their fields, examine a range of texts in relation to contemporary literary and cultural theory, and also in relation to writing for adults, thereby inviting a consideration of how well writing for a young audience can compare with writing for an adult one. This groundbreaking work is essential reading for all interested in Irish literature, childhood, and children's literature.

Selected Contents: Introduction 1: Mythologizing Ireland, Ciara Ní Bhroin 2: Borderlands: Dead Bog and Living Landscape, Éilís Ní Dhuibhne 3: Cleaning up the Mess?: The Child and Nation in Historical Fiction Set between 1890 and 1922, Susan Cahill 4: 'What Foot Does He Dig With?': Inscriptions of Religion and Cultural Identity, Valerie Coghlan 5: Young Adult Fiction and Youth Culture, Pádraic Whyte 6: Fictionalizing Family, Amanda Piesse 7: 'Binding with Briars': Romanticizing the Child, Keith O'Sullivan 8: Evil Innocence: The Child and Adult in Fiction, Jarlath Killeen 9: 'Walking ... into the Night': Growing Up with the Gothic, Anne Markey 10: Contemplating Otherness: Imagining the Future in Speculative Fiction, Patricia Kennon 11 Meanings and Means: Children's Poetry Now, Mary Shine Thompson 12: Picturebooks that Transcend Boundaries, Sandra L Beckett 13: Insularity and Internationalism: Between Local Production and the Global Marketplace, Emer O'Sullivan