Introduction

Upon the Wild Waves: A Journey through Myth in Children's Books serves as a celebration of the wealth of wonderful children's literature held at Trinity College Library. From Romanae historiae anthologia (Thomas Godwin, 1648) to Hagwitch (Marie-Louise Fitzpatrick, 2013), the exhibition explores some of the varying ways in which writers and illustrators have used myth to engage and excite younger readers.

Sourced from Trinity College Library, which holds over 150,000 children's books - approximately 10,500 of which are from the Pollard Collection of Children's Books - the display features a range of important texts that engage with myths from around the world, with a particular emphasis on English-language books and on tales from Irish authors. In presenting traditional versions of myths alongside contemporary re-writes, the exhibition offers an introduction to the many complex ways in which children's literature can explore what it means to be human.

The exhibition is curated by Dr Pádraic Whyte, co-director of the Masters programme in Children's Literature at the School of English, Trinity College.

Background image: "The Children of Lir" illustration ©PJ Lynch 2014 from "The Names Upon The Harp" by Marie Heaney, published by Faber.