Have You Seen the Dublin Vampire? by Úna Woods

In an old part of Dublin, right down by the sea, There's a moon-shaped park with a creepy old tree.

The Dublin Vampire lives there.

The Vampire wakes up as the sun's going down. He hops on the ghost bus and rides into town.

Have you seen the Dublin Vampire?
A funny, warm picture book set throughout Dublin, home to Dracula's creator, Bram Stoker.

Featuring well-known sights around Dublin, including The Crescent (Marino), Five Lamps, O'Connell Bridge, Trinity, Grafton St, Natural History Museum, St Stephen's Green, Bewley's, Dublin Castle and Temple Bar.

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O'Brien are building up quite a library of picture books showing different parts of the country. The Dublin Vampire, as the name might suggest, visits different parts of the capital city.

The illustrations are amazing, all blocky patterns and bright colours. It's a wonderfully multi cultural Dublin presented here. I loved looking for the little details hidden on each page. From a sneaky reference to another O'Brien book in Trinity, to a cameo from Bram Stoker, there's plenty to find here, and it's a book that rewards time spent looking.

The story itself is cute, but quite simple; the Vampire wakes at sundown, visits different parts of the city - traveling, naturally, on the Ghost Bus - and returns home as sunrise approaches. It's a simple story that lends itself to lots of possibilities. Dublin Vampire 2, anyone?

This is a very sweet, well illustrated book.

Have You Seen the Dublin Vampire? publishes on the 7th September, 2020.