My Little Library Bags

My Little Library Bags for children starting school in September

To help children to navigate starting school, libraries have put together a bag of books just for them that can be collected at any library.

My Little Library Initiative. 

As part of the initiative, a ‘My Little Library Book Bag’ is available FREE for every child starting school in 2026 to help them to prepare for this big step. Children and their parents or guardians can collect the bags at any library throughout the country from Friday 8th May 2026.

Each My Little Library Book Bag contains:

• Two books
• Their very own library card and special ‘My Little Library’ cardholder.
• A collection of resources and information is also provided in each bag, including: a library social story card, Little Library colouring sheet, First 5 Guidance for Parents of Children Moving from Pre-School to Primary School, Dyslexia and the Younger Child by Dyslexia Ireland and Bookshare Ireland by Vision Ireland
• Book bags are available in both Irish and English.

Libraries can’t wait to welcome all the 4 to 6 year old children in to collect their book bags and begin their library membership journey.

We hope that once they visit the library to pick up their book bag, our new library members and their families will come back regularly to keep their bag filled up with borrowed books and to take part in storytimes, classes and all the other events we have to offer at the library.

My Little Library is a collaboration between the Department of Children, Disability and Equality, the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht, and Local Government Ireland as part of the First 5 initiative.