The Golden Hare by Paddy Donnelly
Meara and Grandad set out on a journey to find the Golden Hare, a mythical, shape-shifting creature that can jump to the moon in two-and-a-half leaps! Along the way, they discover all sorts of treasures in the trees, under the ground and in the waves. And who knows where that clever Golden Hare might be hiding ...
About the Author
Paddy Donnelly is an Irish author and illustrator living in Belgium, who has illustrated many children’s books, including Dodos Are Not Extinct, Here Be Dragons, Míp, Hom, and Wolves in Helicopters. His work has achieved international acclaim. He has been nominated twice for the Yoto Carnegie Medal for Illustration, shortlisted for the World Illustration Awards, and in 2023 he won the Judges’ Special Award at the KPMG Children’s Books Ireland Awards. Paddy’s first book as author and illustrator, the award-winning The Vanishing Lake, also features Meara and her grandad. His hugely popular Fox & Son Tailers was shortlisted for the An Post Irish Book Awards in 2022, and won the Literacy Association of Ireland Biennial Children’s Book Award in 2023. His books have been published in many languages. Paddy grew up on the beautiful north coast of Ireland, surrounded by mythical stories of giants, magical creatures and shape-shifting animals. His storytelling reflects his love of nature and animals.
Praise for The Golden Hare
‘fabulous – brimming with magic and full of hope for our beautiful planet’
— Patricia Forde, Laureate na nÓg
‘Wow! Paddy Donnelly has done it again. Apart from the story, I was mesmerised by the quality of his illustrations in what is another wonderful book. As young readers peruse The Golden Hare I have no doubt they will hang on to every word of this magical story and dwell upon every illustration as they join Meara in her search for that mythical animal that was too real to Paddy in his own childhood’
— Tom McCaughren, author of Run with the Wind
‘magical … The book invites readers to notice and appreciate the beauty of nature all around us. The characters have a lovely relationship, and it is nice to have a grandparent and grandchild relationship represented in the story in a way that many children will relate to. The beautiful illustrations complement the narrative and give a sense of awe, magic and wonder. Hares are hidden in the details of the colourful and atmospheric images … a wonderful celebration of Irish animals and nature’
— Inis Magazine
‘this ode to the natural world reminds us to pay attention to the wonders surrounding us … ideal for young children aged from zero to four’
— Irish Examiner's Tots to Teens
Publisher: O’Brien Press
Date Published: 4 March 2024
Hardback, 32 pages.
ISBN: 9781788494939
