Dr Amanda Piesse - Received the 2016 Children's Books Ireland Award for her Outstanding Contribution to Children's Books. 

Congratulations to Dr Amanda Piesse who received the 2016 Children’s Books Ireland Award for an outstanding contribution to children’s books in Ireland. Dr Piesse was presented with the award at the 26th annual Children’s Books Ireland (CBI) conference held in Dublin at the weekend. The prestigious CBI Award is presented annually to a person or organisation in recognition of an outstanding contribution to children’s books, acknowledging the passion, enthusiasm and hard work of individuals involved in the world of children’s books in Ireland.

Grainne Clear - a former student of Dr Piesse - gave a citation for the award, outlining Dr Piesse’s dedication to the advancement of children’s literature studies over a number of decades. In the mid-1990s, Dr Piesse taught the first module in children’s literature at the School of English, fostered an advanced research culture in the area, and was a key figure in significantly raising the profile of children’s literature as an academic discipline in Ireland. She is a former president of the Irish Society for the Study of Children’s Literature.

Dr Piesse played a central role in developing the Pollard Collection of Children’s Books and was the driving force behind the establishment of the MPhil in Children’s Literature at Trinity in 2011, the first full-time masters programme of its kind in Ireland. She has taught and published widely in many areas of children’s literature and is well known as a supportive and inspirational teacher and mentor.