Our special guest on Storyshaped today is children's author and artist Eve McDonnell!Eve has written the exquisite Elsetime (published by Everything With Words in 2020), and her second novel The Chestnut Roaster is coming on October 27th, 2022, also from Everything With Words. She is an artist and graphic designer, a mum of twins, and an experienced workshop facilitator - as well as a Wonderlarker, a word of her own coining, which means she tries to see the Wonder in everything... Sounds like perfect Storyshaped material!Eve talks about the stories - and the non-fiction books - which have shaped her and her work, and which have guided her career to date, and shares some of her wisdom about how to encourage children to find themselves in stories and in books.Eve's website: https://startsomewhereblogbyeve.wordpress.com/The books mentioned in today's podcast include:Elsetime by Eve McDonnellThe Chestnut Roaster by Eve McDonnellThe Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank BaumSupernature by Lyall WatsonContest for the Heavens by Klaus JensenThe God of Small Things by Arundhati RoySuite Francaise by Iréne NemirovskyAlone in Berlin by Hans FalladaSix Thinking Hats by Edward de BonoHere is an article about the edition of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz that Eve speaks about, including the illustrations that shaped her so much: https://publicdomainreview.org/collection/w-w-denslow-illustrations-wonderful-wizard-of-oz-1900And the Ladybird edition of The Elves and the Shoemaker is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zl6QqhE7M_EOur podcast bookshop in Ireland is Halfway Up the Stairs: www.halfwayupthestairs.ieIn the UK, check out our storefront on: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/Storyshaped. Disclaimer: If you buy books linked to our site, we may earn a commission from bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookshops. Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're delighted to welcome our very first guest to Storyshaped! Today, we're talking to Olivia Hope, author of the brilliant picturebook Be Wild, Little One (published by Bloomsbury, 2022; illustrated by Daniel Egnéus). Listen in, and discover the books that made Olivia the person and writer she is today, the stories that shaped her, and the stories she has shaped. Learn about her work, her upcoming projects, and the picturebook she thinks is the best ever.Olivia's website: https://www.darleyandersonchildrens.com/authors/olivia-hopeBloomsbury's Be Wild, Little One page: https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/be-wild-little-one-9781408884805/Books mentioned in this episode include:Be Wild, Little One by Olivia Hope and Daniel EgnéusZ is for Moose by Kelly Bingham and Paul O ZelinskyLuna Loves Library Day by Joseph Coelho and Fiona LumbersWhere the Wild Things are by Maurice SendakWe're Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen and Helen OxenburyThe Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson and Axel ShefflerRun With the Wind by Tom McCaughrenLessons in Chemistry by Bonnie GarmusA Road Less Travelled by M. Scott PeckPoems by Mary OliverBig Magic by Elizabeth GilbertBird by Bird by Anne LamottSuch Stuff by Michael MorpurgoOur podcast bookshop in Ireland is Halfway Up the Stairs: www.halfwayupthestairs.ieIn the UK, check out our storefront on: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/Storyshaped. Disclaimer: If you buy books linked to our site, we may earn a commission from bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookshops. Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's a minipod! Susan and Sinéad are sort of on holiday this week, so this wee podcast is designed to keep you ticking over until we're back again with a VERY SPECIAL GUEST EPISODE next week. Today we're comparing and contrasting the books we're currently reading and loving, going head-to-head with them to see which one comes out on top... Who will it be? Tune in and find out!The books we're talking about today are Juno Dawson's HER MAJESTY'S SECRET COVEN and Sharon Gosling's THE EXTRAORDINARY VOYAGE OF KATY WILLACOTT. Both these books should be available from our partner bookshops; see below for details!Our podcast bookshop in Ireland is Halfway Up the Stairs: www.halfwayupthestairs.ieIn the UK, check out our storefront on: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/Storyshaped. Disclaimer: If you buy books linked to our site, we may earn a commission from bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookshops. Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Susan and Sinéad revisit a book which haunted both their childhoods - Catherine Storr's 1958 fantasy classic Marianne Dreams. We get deep inside the symbolism of this brilliant little book, discussing the nature of dreams and fantasy and how stories contain universes. Come with us as we watch Marianne and Mark battle their way past the Watchers... Sit with us on the grass as we ask ourselves what the enigmatic ending of this book is really trying to say... And try not to laugh at Sinéad's visceral terror reactions to the Terrible Awful Very Scary Things in this book (stones! With *eyes*!)Referenced in this podcast:"Musty Books: 'Marianne Dreams' by Catherine Storr (1958); a blog article on The Haunted Generation with Bob Fischer, July 6, 2020"I Write to Frighten Myself": Catherine Storr and the Development of Children's Literature Studies in Britain; Kimberley Reynolds, Children's Literature in Education 50, 449-463, 2019Fear and Evil in Children's Books; Catherine Storr, Children's Literature in Education 1, 22-40, 1970The Book of Symbols: Reflections on Archetypal Images, TaschenOur podcast bookshop in Ireland is Halfway Up the Stairs: www.halfwayupthestairs.ieIn the UK, check out our storefront on: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/Storyshaped. Disclaimer: If you buy books linked to our site, we may earn a commission from bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookshops. Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Susan and Sinéad do a deep dive into one of Susan's 'soul book's - Diana Wynne Jones' classic Charmed Life. Come with us as we discuss the issues of power and responsibility the novel deals with, as well as a very serious scholarly debate about who is more of a 'peacock' - Chrestomanci or Wizard Howl - and an appreciation for Gwendolen Chant, the most unapologetically evil character in children's literature. We discuss the idea of multiple worlds and the mechanics of travelling between them, and how important it is for Cat, the book's protagonist, to finally step into his own potential, and we share a little about how the masterful Diana Wynne Jones has influenced both of us as writers and as people.Referenced in the episode is the work of:Aishwara Subramanian: "'So Would You Mind Telling Me Where I Am? It's a Stately Home of Some Kind, Isn't It?' (Charmed Life)", proceedings of the Diana Wynne Jones Conference, 2019Robin Stevens: Keynote Address, Diana Wynne Jones Conference, 2019Diana Wynne Jones' own words from Reflections: On the Magic of Writing, 2012To buy any of the books mentioned in this episode see our Irish and UK bookshop info below:Our Irish bookshop partner is Halfway Up the Stairs bookshop in Wicklow: www.halfwayupthestairs.ieIn the UK, check out our storefront on https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/Storyshaped. Disclosure: If you buy books linked to our site, we may earn a commission from Bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookshops. Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this inaugural episode, join your hosts Susan Cahill and Sinéad O'Hart as they discuss Alan Garner's 1965 novel Elidor, a book which has meant a great deal to them both - and which has definitely 'Storyshaped' both of their lives. Get comfy, and get ready for chats, laughter, and lots of Storyshaped goodness. Enjoy!To buy the books mentioned in this episode see our Irish and UK bookshop info below:Our Irish bookshop partner is Halfway Up the Stairs bookshop in Wicklow: www.halfwayupthestairs.ieIn the UK, check out our storefront on https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/Storyshaped. Disclosure: If you buy books linked to our site, we may earn a commission from Bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookshops. Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to Storyshaped, the pocast all about the power of stories to shape lives and change the world. Come with us on our journey into the magic of words and pictures with a variety of brilliant bookish guests! Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.