Over the Red-Brick Chimney

Una Leavy was born in Charlestown, Co. Mayo. She has been writing since early childhood. A primary school teacher by profession, she is married to Lorcán and they have six children. Her writing includes poetry, articles and short stories which have been published in various magazines and periodicals. Much of her work has been for children and to date she has published seven books with the O'Brien Press.SHANNON BERGIN is an Irish illustrator, avid doodler and tea drinker. As a kid, she wandered around the countryside making up stories and drawing on any available surface. As a grown-up, she basically does the same thing, but now it’s for books, galleries and other cool things. She has won several awards for her illustrative pieces, and her debut illustrated book Evie’s Christmas Wishes written by Siobhan Parkinson, was shortlisted for the 2021 Irish Book Awards. She loves books, gardening and all things colourful, with a hint of magic.

The story moves through the seasons beautifully, and the soundscape changes to match, from the noise of the storm, through the quiet of the barn, the cheery racket of Finn’s games, back to the quiet as he sits by the fire watching the geese through the window. For all the drama, the huge distances the geese cover (laid out on a map on the endpapers), this is a story full of comfort and reassurance, that friendships survive even over distance, that goodbyes become hellos. The illustrations catch the mood and characters very well and the text is particularly pleasing to read