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We Love Books

RTÉ

We Love Books

Calling all book worms, RTÉJr has the podcast for you! On We Love Books, we love talking about all things book-related! Jam-packed with author interviews, writing tips, reviews and stories written by our very own listeners, We Love Books is a journey down the rabbit hole into the wonderful world of kids books.

Parent info: We Love Books is recommended for ages 6-10 and 11 plus. It's an Episodic show that can be listened to in any order. Made in Ireland, it's about Books and Stories for kids. Launched in 2020, it has 1 season.

There are 76 episodes

Episodes
The most recent appears first.

  • We Love Books Episode 50 - KPMG Children's Books Ireland Awards 2026

    22 min Season 1 Episode 50 10 June 2026

    Come one, come all and meet the writers, students and readers who made this year's  KPMG Children's Books Ireland Awards so special. From busy heads to nefarious fish, this years’ selection had it all.

  • We Love Books Episode 49

    26 min Season 1 Episode 49 23 January 2026

    For this bonus episode, We Love Books takes you inside the An Post Book Awards. Reporter Francesca Europa speaks with children’s authors Dave Rudden, Sadhbh Devlin, Sarah Bowie, and Paddy Donnelly about creativity, storytelling, and what sparks a love of read…

  • We Love Books Episode 48

    22 min Season 1 Episode 48 29 November 2025

    Journey into the unknown with Tom Crean, Irish Antarctic hero! Author Michael Smith and illustrator David Butler are in the house to talk about their fantastic new graphic novel and the adventures of the great Iceman of Kerry.

  • We Love Books Episode 47 - Spooky Halloween Special!

    27 min Season 1 Episode 47 27 October 2025

    Award-winning writer, broadcaster and journalist but more importantly, king of paranormal podcasting Danny Robins is in the house for a spooky special to ask the big question of the season: do you believe in ghosts?

  • We Love Books Episode 46

    26 min Season 1 Episode 46 22 September 2025

    Take a walk through the woods with award-winning writer Eilish Fisher and find out what's in store for you in her evocative and spooky new book, sure to delight and excite, especially in the run-up to Halloween!

  • We Love Books Episode 45

    17 min Season 1 Episode 45 11 August 2025

    Author, illustrator and comedian Aoife Dooley chats about the joys of discovering graphic novels, the power of her autism diagnosis and of course her latest under-the-sea adventure, Squid Squad!

  • We Love Books Episode 44

    23 min Season 1 Episode 44 11 July 2025

    Beloved author and illustrator Peter Donnelly drops by to talk books, drawings, the time he decorated a dry cleaner's wall with lipstick and his phenomenal career as an animator.

  • We Love Books Episode 43 - The KPMG Children's Books Ireland Awards 2025

    28 min Season 1 Episode 43 16 June 2025

    Time to celebrate the best of Irish literature! Merrion Square Park was overrun with readers and writers to award the cream of the children's books crop with these coveted awards and We Love Books got up close and personal with the winners.

  • We Love Books Episode 42 – Towers and Tales

    19 min Season 1 Episode 42 19 May 2025

    A jam packed episode takes us a on a whistlestop tour through the idyllic Towers and Tales Childrens Book Festival at Lismore Castle at the May Bank Holiday. Niamh Sharkey, Máire Zepf, Sarah Bowie, Vivian French, Leona Forde and Karen Harte, Pádraig Kenny and…

  • We Love Books Episode 41

    27 min Season 1 Episode 41 17 April 2025

    Journalist, TV presenter and author Zainab Boladale talks small town summers and the magic of local libraries while 11-year-old World Champion golfer Ella Kenny tells us all about becoming an author.

  • We Love Books Episode 40

    25 min Season 1 Episode 40 14 March 2025

    Seachtain na Gaeilge atá ann! Celebrate by sailing away to Inis Mara with Tristan Rosenstock who tells us all about island life, the magic of Irish place names and the very special hero at the heart of his stories.

  • We Love Books Episode 39

    25 min Season 1 Episode 39 17 February 2025

    Blind author Lucy Edwards tells us all about her incredible and accessible new book and about how technology has changed the game for those with a disability.

  • We Love Books Mini Bonus Episode - You'd Better Watch Out this Christmas!

    12 min 16 December 2024

    Colm Field aka Frank Cadaver puts the ho ho ho-rror into Christmas with a return to the age-old tradition of a scary story during the festive season. We find out all about his terrifying new series - warning - this episode is not for the faint of heart!

  • We Love Books Christmas Episode

    24 min 9 December 2024

    Welcome to a very Christmassy We Love Books packed with fantastic ideas for your Christmas Wishlist and a very special author/illustrator double bill when Leona Forde and Karen Harte are in the house to talk all things Millie McCarthy

  • We Love Books Episode 38

    27 min Season 1 Episode 38 11 November 2024

    Writer and illustrator Alan Nolan joins us for our Mysteries, Puzzles and Riddles-themed show plus catch our CBI Reading Heroes giving us their top mysterious recommendations

  • We Love Books Episode 37

    28 min Season 1 Episode 37 14 October 2024

    The spooky vibes are off the chart on this very Halloween-y We Love Books. Méabh McDonnell takes us Into the Witchwood, our CBI Reading Heroes talk scary reads and what's that going bump in the night? It's the Boot Bot with a new writing prompt!

  • We Love Books Episode 36

    24 min Season 1 Episode 36 11 September 2024

    Find out why Sarah Bowie is amazing and why you should add more graphic novels to your bookshelf. We've also got our CBI Reading Heroes in the house and a new friend with a writing assignment for you!

  • Children’s Books Ireland Awards 2024

    18 min 31 May 2024

    We’re back in Merrion Square to meet some of the writers, illustrators and children who made the world of Children’s Books shine in 2024.

  • We Love Books Competition Winners – Mary

    6 min 20 March 2023

    Our listeners aren’t just great readers, they’re also great writers. Today we meet Mary He who was highly commended in our We Love Books creative writing competition. Mary tells the tale of hippo who just can’t get enough of the swimming pool!

  • We Love Books Competition Winners – Ava

    7 min 20 March 2023

    Our listeners aren’t just great readers, they’re also great writers. Today we meet Ava Derham who was highly commended in our We Love Books creative writing competition. Ava tells the thrilling tale of the rebellious residents of Corny Jamwith Nursing Home.

  • We Love Books Competition Winners – Emmet

    6 min 20 March 2023

    Our listeners aren’t just great readers, they’re also great writers. Today we meet Emmet Staunton who was highly commended in our We Love Books creative writing competition. Emmet introduces us to magical realms and mystical creatures in his story, Go Wild!

  • We Love Books Competition Winners – Kate

    5 min 20 March 2023

    Our listeners aren’t just great readers, they’re also great writers. Today we meet Kate Hosey who was highly commended in our We Love Books creative writing competition. In Kate’s story, we learn why teachers should be nice to students, or risk facing the cons…

  • We Love Books Competition Winners – Lola-Mae

    7 min 20 March 2023

    Our listeners aren’t just great readers, they’re also great writers. Today we meet Lola-Mae McCormack, our overall category winner in our We Love Books creative writing competition. Her winning story is a mixture of jungle fever and cabin fever as she feels li…

  • We Love Books Competition Winners – Zoe

    5 min 20 March 2023

    Our listeners aren’t just great readers, they’re also great writers. Today we meet Zoe O’Grady who was highly commended in our We Love Books creative writing competition. In her story, Zoe goes walkies and takes some very special furry friends a late-night tre…

  • We Love Books Competition Winners - Aoife

    5 min 20 March 2023

    Our listeners aren’t just great readers, they’re also great writers. Today we meet Aoife Brett Grout who was highly commended in our We Love Books creative writing competition. Aoife tells the touching story of a sister’s love that transcends the limits of the…

  • We Love Books Competition Winners - Noah

    7 min 20 March 2023

    Our listeners aren’t just great readers, they’re also great writers. Today we meet Noah Cooper who was highly commended in our We Love Books creative writing competition. Noah tells the terrifying tale of a lost phone, a creepy smile and a young boy who is abo…

  • We Love Books Competition Winners – Oscar

    6 min 20 March 2023

    Our listeners aren’t just great readers, they’re also great writers. Today we meet Oscar Fulham who was highly commended in our We Love Books creative writing competition. Oscar tells the story of a friend with something to tell his parents but with no idea ho…

  • We Love Books Competition Winners – Norah

    8 min 20 March 2023

    Our listeners aren’t just great readers, they’re also great writers. Today we meet Norah Tinney, the overall category winner of our We Love Books creative writing competition. Norah’s winning story tells of a granddaughter’s love, a talking tree and a big disc…

  • We Love Books Mini Bonus Episode - Sarah Moore Fitzgerald and the 8 Don'ts of Writing

    17 min 18 October 2021

    Author and teacher Sarah Moore Fitzgerald brings us the 8 things NOT to do when it comes to upping your fiction game and writing great stories that connect with your readers.

  • We Love Books Mini Bonus Episode - Travel Writing with Tom Hall

    10 min 29 September 2021

    Lonely Planet's Tom Hall is in the house to share expert wisdom on the perfect piece of travel writing and reveals his favourite places to visit around the world

  • We Love Books Mini Bonus Episode - Seanchaí Niall de Búrca

    16 min 23 September 2021

    Master storyteller Niall de Búrca tells us about the ancient art of telling an intriguing tale, his life on the road bringing his stories around the country and even gives us a spontaneous performance!

  • We Love Books Mini Bonus Episode - Sports Writing with Paul O'Flynn

    18 min 14 September 2021

    Today, RTÉ sports broadcaster and journalist Paul O'Flynn tells us about his time at the Tokyo Olympics, the power of sports to improve health and happiness and, of course, the latest book in his accessible sporting series celebrating some of Ireland's greates…

  • We Love Books Mini Bonus Episode - Horror Writing with Kat Ellis

    17 min 16 August 2021

    The wickedly spooky Kat Ellis joins Niamh for a mini masterclass in how to write horror fiction - not for the fainthearted! Take notes and prepare to scare...

  • We Love Books Episode 35

    28 min Season 1 Episode 35 10 August 2021

    Author Michael Egan brings us the highs, the lows and all the drama of a GAA club with his series Declan Kirby GAA star series and shares his top tips for creativity and success, plus tons of book chat, reviews and more!

  • We Love Books Episode 34

    25 min Season 1 Episode 34 2 August 2021

    In the hot seat today, Moïra Fowley-Doyle is our featured author talking about her magical young adult fiction and her top writing tips for future authors, plus we've got bags of book chat to keep young book worms engaged and entertained

  • We Love Books Episode 33

    25 min Season 1 Episode 33 26 July 2021

    Wafa' Tarnowska is our featured author on this week's show, sharing her tales of life as a refugee in Lebanon and her work using her voice as bridge to connect cultures, plus she's got awe-inspiring stories of Amazing Women of the Middle East

  • We Love Books Episode 32

    26 min Season 1 Episode 32 12 July 2021

    Ever wondered how much of our DNA we share with bananas or how to clone a t-rex in your home? Us too! Andrew Pettie is here with his new book Listified to provide the answers to the questions you never knew you wanted to ask, plus reviews, book chat and more…

  • We Love Books Episode 31

    24 min Season 1 Episode 31 5 July 2021

    Jess Kidd sprinkles some Everyday Magic onto the show as this week's featured author, sharing her love for the spooky and the strange, as well as some top writing tips and tricks, plus we hear from you guys, what types of books do you love and what books would…

  • We Love Books Episode 30

    20 min Season 1 Episode 30 28 June 2021

    Dermot O'Leary is back in the house with a new book and a new ninja cat saga - catch up with the adventures of Toto, who is in hot water over a jaw-dropping jewel heist, plus we've got all the usual book chat to keep bookworms hooked

  • We Love Books Episode 29

    23 min Season 1 Episode 29 21 June 2021

    Today Niamh chats to TV presenter, animal enthusiast and adventurer Jess French about her creepy-crawly childhood, the incredible creatures she has met on her travels and her fabulous new book, plus we've got plenty of book chat from you guys for young bookwor…

  • We Love Books Episode 28

    28 min Season 1 Episode 28 14 June 2021

    Author Maz Evans tells our listeners about spies, gods and... disgusting pineapples! Plus we've got tons of book chat for young book worms to enjoy

  • We Love Books Episode 27

    22 min Season 1 Episode 27 7 June 2021

    Niamh chats to author and wildlife filmmaker Tony Lee Moral about his latest book, The Cat that Changed America, based on the true tale of P22, the LA mountain lion who has had some hairy adventures, plus all the usual book chat from you guys!

  • We Love Books Episode 26

    24 min Season 1 Episode 26 31 May 2021

    Niamh chats to author Eve McDonnell about her thrilling time travel adventure story, Elsetime, and about the mystic who told her to become an author - intriguing! Plus our listeners get in touch with all kinds of book chat.

  • We Love Books Episode 25

    22 min Season 1 Episode 25 24 May 2021

    Niamh chats to author Lindsay Galvin about her thrilling tale of real-life dragons inspired by a true story, plus we've got reviews, stories and more!

  • We Love Books Episode 24

    27 min Season 1 Episode 24 17 May 2021

    Blue Peter legend turned author Radzi Chinyanganya joins Niamh for a chat about what inspires him, his stellar career and his new book, plus the libraries are back open - hooray - and we want to know what you love about your local library

  • We Love Books Episode 23

    22 min Season 1 Episode 23 9 May 2021

    Niamh chats to Galway author Catherine Doyle about her top writing tips, her new book and how she conquered her fear of the ocean, plus we hear from listeners about what books they like to read, what books they would like to write and more!

  • We Love Books Episode 22

    20 min Season 1 Episode 22 3 May 2021

    Warning: this episode is NOT for the faint of heart - Niamh chats to horror queen Kat Ellis about her spooky books and what inspired them, plus we've got tons of tips, review, stories and more to tickle any young bookworm's fancy!

  • We Love Books Episode 21

    26 min Season 1 Episode 21 27 April 2021

    It's a brand new season of WLB and a brand new way to enjoy book festivals - find out how the authors and organizers of the Towers and Tales festival are beaming their literary magic into your homes, plus we've got reviews, stories and more!

  • We Love Books Mini Bonus Episode - Ray Cuddihy Squeezes in a Read

    16 min 16 February 2021

    Niamh chats to Ray Cuddihy aka Múinteoir Ray from RTÉ's Home School Hub about his role as ambassador for Ireland Reads Squeeze in a Read campaign AND about other fun things to squeeze in during lockdown

  • We Love Books Christmas Special 2020

    35 min 22 December 2020

    Happy Christmas from the We Love Books HQ! Join Niamh for a truly jam-packed festive kid's book extravaganza and maybe even a chat with the man of the moment - Santa himself - if those pesky gremlins don't get in the way...

  • We Love Books Mini Bonus Episode - Wonderfest

    11 min 19 November 2020

    Stuck for ways to keep up with the wonderful world of kids books during the pandemic? Niamh chats to writers Sarah Webb and Eve McDonnell about Wonderfest, an online festival kids can attend November 20th-22nd from the comfort of their own home!

  • We Love Books Mini Bonus Episode - Meet our competition winners!

    11 min 2 November 2020

    Children from all across the country wrote fantastic stories for our We Love Books writing competition and now it's time to hear from our winners - they tell us what they wrote about and share their top writing tips. You'll be able to hear the winning stories…

  • We Love Books Episode 20

    25 min Season 1 Episode 20 14 July 2020

    Niamh drops in on a creative writing club for kids led by award-winning author Sarah Webb and finds out what makes snow happy and what makes rain sad, CBI Book Doctor Anne has excellent reading recommendations for the adventurous at heart and we've got a story…

  • We Love Books Episode 19

    18 min Season 1 Episode 19 7 July 2020

    Dream team meteorologist Joanna Donnelly and illustrator Fuchsia MacAree chat about creating their award-winning The Great Weather Book, plus we've got all the usual goods including stories, reviews and a trip to CBI Book Doctor Anne's clinic of riveting readi…

  • We Love Books Episode 18

    17 min Season 1 Episode 18 29 June 2020

    Kelly McCaughrain chats about her multi-award-winning debut novel Flying Tips for Flightless Birds, CBI Book Doctor Anne has top reading recommendations, we've got stories, reviews and more!

  • We Love Books Episode 17

    29 min Season 1 Episode 17 23 June 2020

    Holly Rivers chats to Niamh all about her book Demelza and the Spectre Detectors and what it was like growing up inside an actual book, almost, as an actress on the original Worst Witch series, plus we've got reviews, stories, reading recommendations and more!

  • We Love Books Episode 16

    26 min Season 1 Episode 16 15 June 2020

    Pádraig Kenny is our featured author, chatting about the secret to writing a book really, really fast and why he wants to make you cry (in a good way!), CBI Book Doctor Anne has some classic recommendations, we've got reviews, stories and more!

  • We Love Books Episode 15

    23 min Season 1 Episode 15 8 June 2020

    How to Train Your Dragon author Cressida Cowell chats about her writing process and her new book in the Wizards of Once series, Knock Three Times, CBI Book Doctor Anne has excellent reading recommendations for kids who love illustrated books and we've got revi…

  • We Love Books Writing Competition Mini Episode

    14 min 4 June 2020

    The results are in for the We Love Books writing competition! In this mini episode we find out what the judges were looking for in a winning story, what their top tips are for entering a creative writing competition and, of course, who our winners are!

  • We Love Books Episode 14

    24 min Season 1 Episode 14 1 June 2020

    The Maker of Monsters author Lorraine Gregory chats to Niamh about how a good hero needs a good villain, plus we've got reviews, stories and top reading recommendations from CBI Book Doctor Anne.

  • We Love Books Episode 13

    26 min Season 1 Episode 13 26 May 2020

    Helena Duggan is our featured author this week, uncovering the spooky side of Kilkenny in her 'Perfect' trilogy. We've got stories, reviews and top recommendations from Book Doctor Anne.

  • We Love Books Episode 12

    25 min Season 1 Episode 12 18 May 2020

    Shane Hegarty is our featured author in this week's episode. You'll know him from his Darkmouth series and most recently for Boot, which is the 2020 Citywide Reading for Children choice. We check in with Book Doctor Anne for some excellent reading recommenda…

  • We Love Books Episode 11

    20 min Season 1 Episode 11 11 May 2020

    Niamh chats to author and illustrator Chris Judge about the latest adventures of The Beast and what happens when he finds an egg on his doorstep, plus we've got reviews, stories and a visit from Book Doctor Anne with recommendations for great reads.

  • We Love Books Mini Bonus Episode - The Bradley Theatre School

    10 min 8 May 2020

    On today's mini ep, the students of the Bradley Theatre School share the poems they have written for an online poetry festival run by teacher Sarah - plenty of inspiration to get you scribbling at home!

  • We Love Books Episode 10

    22 min Season 1 Episode 10 27 April 2020

    Green-fingered mother-daughter duo Esther Coombs and Tinneke Harvey tell Niamh about speedy snails, two-headed pumpkins and how a school gardening club led to their new book, Plant, Sow, Make and Grow, plus reviews, stories and more!

  • We Love Books Episode 9

    18 min Season 1 Episode 9 20 April 2020

    Author Vashti Hardy tells us about the fantastical worlds she writes about and the supernatural experiences she had as a child - spooky! Plus writing tips, reviews and more.

  • We Love Books Episode 8

    23 min Season 1 Episode 8 14 April 2020

    Author and illustrator Laura Ellen Anderson chats to Niamh about how to make your very own pumpkin friend, how best to organize rainbow pants and more! Plus writing tips, stories and reviews.

  • We Love Books Mini Bonus Episode - Max and Zoe Kennedy

    6 min 1 April 2020

    Niamh chats to 6-year-old Max Kennedy who has published his very own book and his 5-year-old sister Zoe, his expert saleswoman! A fantastic example of how you can get creative from your own home.

  • We Love Books Episode 7

    25 min Season 1 Episode 7 12 March 2020

    Our own in-house writer extraordinaire Dave Rudden has only gone and given us an interview! He spills the ancient secrets of that most mysterious of creatures, the author (spoiler alert, they're allowed to wear pjs all day if they like - nice!)

  • We Love Books Episode 6

    23 min Season 1 Episode 6 12 March 2020

    Niamh is joined by a roly-poly flying pony named Kevin and his friends, Philip Reeve and Sarah McIntyre to chat about what it's like writing a book with your friend - spoiler alert, it's great fun! We've got another fab writing tip from Dave Rudden and loads …

  • We Love Books Episode 5

    21 min Season 1 Episode 5 6 March 2020

    Niamh chats to writer and illustrator Alex T Smith about books, the colour pink and his childhood ambition to be a rabbit! (As well as loads of other stuff, seriously we really do jam-pack these episodes...)

  • We Love Books Episode 4

    20 min Season 1 Episode 4 6 March 2020

    The magical James Nicol casts a spell in the We Love Books HQ telling us all about the adventures of Arianwyn Gribble!

  • We Love Books Episode 3

    25 min Season 1 Episode 3 6 March 2020

    X Factor host Dermot O'Leary has many talents, one of them is writing kids books! He chats to Niamh about the third book in his Toto the Ninja Cat series, we've got World Book Day Shenanigans, stories, reviews and a whole load more!

  • We Love Books Episode 2

    22 min Season 1 Episode 2 2 March 2020

    It's our official launch party! Writer Juliette Saumande and illustrator Tarsila Krüse lead children through a treasure hunt at Coolock Library with some weird and wonderful results. Kids get reading, writing and reviewing and we've got a top 2 minute writin…

  • We Love Books Episode 1

    20 min Season 1 Episode 1 24 February 2020

    Niamh chats to author Onjali Rauf about how she turned her experiences working in refugee camps into her award-winni ng book The Boy at the Back of the Class. There's a top writing tip from author extraordinaire Dave Rudden, reviews, story time and more!

  • Trailer: We Love Books

    2 min Season 1 Trailer 22 February 2020

    The RTÉJr Podcast that wants to get you reading, reviewing ... and writing!

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