Meet the Author
Gráinne Ryan graduated from University College Dublin (UCD) in 1990 with a degree in French and Greek & Roman Civilization. She completed the Higher Diploma in Education in 1991. The following year she was awarded a scholarship from UCD to work as an “Assistante d’anglais” for one year in a French Secondary School in Nîmes in France. Gráinne has over twenty years experience teaching French and has lived and worked in both France and Belgium. In 2008 she started teaching small groups of Primary School children and soon realised that there were no French reading books, aimed at English speaking children. She felt that it would be really helpful to have a story book covering specific vocabulary. From this first hand experience the idea of Danny Cool was born. “Bonjour” is the first book in the Danny Cool series. Each book will have a different theme covering a variety of vocabulary. Gráinne decided to base Danny Cool in Ireland. The Cool family are a very busy chaotic family where things can sometimes go wrong! Danny Cool is a really friendly guy and will have lots of funny stories to tell. Gráinne has been passionate about the French language from a very young age. “Languages are so important especially in the current climate. It is vital to start a language early as it is much easier to pick it up. It is well known that learning a second language at an early age improves a child’s overall cognitive ability.” Gráinne lives in Dublin with her husband and three children aged 13, 11 and 7. -
About The Illustrator
Deborah McCann graduated from NCAD (National College of Art and Design) in 1996. She has been Head of the Art Department in Holy Child Killiney Secondary School since 1997. Deborah lives in Dublin with her husband and two sons.