Children’s author Katie Lally visits Castlebar Primary School
KATIE Lally from Ballintubber is the author and illustrator of the children’s picture book, A Spectacular Story from the Future.
During the summer, families and friends of national school pupils all across the county entered a Meet The Author competition posted on Katie's social media platforms. The prize for the winning comment was a visit to the child’s school where Katie would meet and read to the children, answer questions and explain what life is like to be a children’s author and illustrator.
Eric Moore, entered by his mother Rene Moore, was the lucky winner of the popular online competition. And now the children are settled back into the school routine, Katie fulfilled her promise and visited Castlebar Primary school where the students of Mrs. MacManamon’s fourth class enjoyed a real treat.
Katie read her book to the children, took lots of selfies and had a great chat with the class, answering their many questions and having lots of fun doing so.
Speaking after the event, teacher Mrs. McManamon commented: “It was such a pleasure to have Katie in our class - you could have heard a pin drop when she was reading her book. The boys and girls were very impressed to be taught how to draw by a published illustrator. It was a fantastic experience.”
The popular children’s author commented: “What a joy it has been to meet such an enthusiastic bunch of students today at Castlebar Primary school. I have no doubt there are a couple of budding writers and illustrators among them.”
When she is not writing and illustrating, Katie is a creative psychotherapist for children and teenagers in Co. Dublin. Writing children’s books has enabled her to combine her passion for crafting stories and illustrations together with her professional knowledge and experience working with children of all ages.
She said: “I love the spirit and beautiful imagination of children, who continue to inspire me every day. There are many themes in my books and I am very fortunate to be able to combine my profession with my passion and do a job I love.
“My advice for the children today was simply to keep on reading. It is such a gift so go find something you like to read and enjoy it!”
If you have a little one in your life that is interested in animals, climate action and friendship then A Spectacular Story from the Future is the book for them. The book is based on these interesting topics, all close to the author's heart, and shows the reader how working together we can make positive changes.
It's filled with vibrant cartoon illustrations and there are many positive messages woven throughout the book for children to learn from.
Katie Lally’s books are on sale locally in Eason stores in Ballina and Castlebar, The Castle Bookshop in Castlebar, Corrigan's in Ballintubber and McLoughlin's in Westport and is also available online at Amazon.
She is currently in the process of writing a baby book and designing adorable illustrations to accompany it also and has many plans for more works to come.
To follow this up-and-coming Irish children’s author Katie Lally, simply follow her progress on social media for the latest news and updates on the exciting projects in the pipeline.