My final picture book recommendation for Halloween 2020 is Have You Seen the Dublin Vampire? by Úna Woods. This gorgeously illustrated picture book takes you on a tour of some of the most famous sights of Dublin, with the Dublin Vampire “hiding” on each page.
The Dublin Vampire hops on a ghost bus and goes on a tour of the city. Set in the evening, with a dark night sky, each landmark is bursting with vibrant colour. Úna has beautifully depicted many well-known sights around Dublin, including the Natural History Museum, Dublin Castle and Temple Bar. My favourite is the dusty library at Trinity College.
Every spread has the same structure: the left-hand page has a simple rhyming couplet, that tells you where the Dublin Vampire has gone in the city, and the right-hand page always asks the question: Have you seen the Dublin Vampire?
The Dublin Vampire is nice and easy to spot for young readers, but there is so much more to enjoy on each spread – the Vampire’s bat, plus a mother and daughter who are also on a tour of the city, appear somewhere on each page! My daughter loved looking at everyone’s umbrellas as they crossed O’Connell Bridge over the River Liffey.
My daughter’s favourite page, unsurprisingly, was the one with the pumpkins! She loved saying the sounds the fireworks made.
This is a delightful debut that will make you want to visit Dublin! Úna’s striking illustrations capture the diversity of the city. Packed with hidden gems and little details, you’ll notice more each time you read it. Have You Seen the Dublin Vampire? is a refreshing and unique Halloween read!
Published 7 September 2020 by The O’Brien Press
I am very grateful to the publisher for providing me with a complimentary copy of this book. This voluntary review contains my honest opinion.
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