Pre-school children in Cork to get free book bag

Book bags will be available for young children in Cork to help prepare them to start school, said Fine Gael Cork North West TD John Paul O’Shea

Deputy O’Shea said children leaving pre-school and starting primary school are invited to visit their local library to pick up a book bag and take the opportunity to join the library as part of the My Little Library initiative.

“The books and resources in the book bag support parents and their children in the transition to primary school. 110,000 free books will be available nationally and books are available in both English and Irish.

“This is great news for families with young children in Cork, who want to take the time over the summer to prepare their children to transition to primary school.

“The bags will be available throughout the summer, and I encourage all families to join their local library in Cork if they aren’t already members.

“The children can join their library along with their families, and choose their own books to borrow, all for free. For many children in Cork, this could be the start of a lifelong love of reading.

“These books and stories will help each child prepare for this big step. Books are a great way of helping parents support their children with their early language and literacy development.

“I urge every family with a child starting primary school this September to avail of this initiative and pick up their Little Library book bag from their local library in Cork”, concluded Deputy John Paul O’Shea.  

Minister Jerry Buttimer said today “I warmly welcome the launch of the 2025 My Little Library Initiative. I know that the library staff across the country share my enthusiasm for connecting young families with our excellent national library service. Books and stories are a lovely way of helping parents support their children with their learning journey and becoming a library member gives lifelong access to the joy of books and reading.”