Award-winning picturebook makers and creatives, Mary Murphy and Niamh Sharkey present Buggybirds: Draw and Play!, a family art and story project created especially for the festival!

Buggybirds are critters that ​are part ​bird and ​part ​bug (think six legs and a beak​!​) who make their homes in ​giant​ flowers. Together, Mary and Niamh will show families how to ​create their own buggybirds and buggybird flower homes from paper, card, leaves, feathers… and lots of love. Mary and Niamh enjoy drawing ink blots and creating unusual animals with each other.

Join them for this lovely family event! They have made lots of linked activity sheets: download yours here.

Mary Murphy has written and illustrated more than 40 bright, strong books for babies and toddlers. She lives in Dublin with her two dogs, Honey and Alfie. Her latest book is Only a Tree Knows How to Be a Tree.

Niamh Sharkey is an award-winning picturebook maker and is the creator and executive producer of Disney Junior's animated preschool series Henry Hugglemonster, based on her picturebook, I’m a Happy Hugglewug. She is a former Laureate na nÓg/Irish Laureate for Children's Literature.

Perfect for age 4+ and the whole family!

The Gutter Bookshop is sad they can’t be at the festival in person this year but you can browse (and purchase!) books by the featured authors at the special ILFDublin festival shop - CLICK HERE. And remember that there’s no postage to pay in Ireland if you spend over €30 or if you choose to collect your books from either of our bookshops. Just choose the ‘Free Shipping’ or ‘Click & Collect’ options at checkout!