New children's book explores the trees, animals and insects of UCC
‘A Tree at UCC’ Illustrator Charlie Ruxton, writer JP Quinn, and UCC President Prof. John O’Halloran were joined by a group of VIP guests at the launch of ‘A Tree at UCC’. Pic: Max Bell.
Having told the story of one of the smallest inhabitants at University College Cork, the duo behind the hugely successful book ‘A Bee at UCC’ have switched their attention to the tallest residents on campus.
Writer JP Quinn, head of visitors’ services at UCC, and illustrator Charlie Ruxton of UCC Audio Visual have published their second children’s book ‘A Tree at UCC’, which was officially launched by UCC President, Professor John O’Halloran.
‘A Tree at UCC’ sees the trees, animals and insects of UCC rise up to prove the worth of real trees when they mistakenly believe that Cork is being taken over by robot trees from outer space.
A recognised arboretum, there are about 2,500 trees to explore on UCC’s campus across 120 different species, including native Irish and British trees, as well as American, Asian, Australian and European.
The central character of UCC’s latest children’s book is Reddy, one of the giant California Redwoods situated outside the Boole Library, and the book also features a cameo from Booley the Bee, the star of ‘A Bee at UCC’.
JP Quinn said: “The story aimed at children aged four to nine and is a gentle tale aimed at highlighting the importance of trees and the importance of finding one's own voice.”
Charlie Ruxton added: “Since I was very young, art was always a huge passion for me its such a joy to have my illustrations published in this delightful book.”
The creative team behind the book are hoping it can emulate the success of ‘A Bee at UCC’, which is on its fifth print, and on sale in bookshops, online, a number of tourist destinations, and at UCC.
A copy was also made available to every public library in Ireland, and Booley’s popularity around UCC was immoralised through a mural by Kevin O’Brien, based on Charlie Ruxton's artwork, at the reception area at the School of Clinical Therapies at UCC.
The mural has become very popular with young children attending and has informally become part of the assessment for children attending the clinic.
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