A big month ahead for book lovers
News bulletin: 18 August 2009
Book Week is on 22 – 28 August 2009 and will be followed by National Reading Day on 2 September 2009.
With the Premier’s Reading Challenge winding down for this year there are some new, exciting reading challenges on the horizon for students who love books.
Book Week is run by the Children’s Book Council and celebrates outstanding books for children.
The theme for this year is Book Safari and a short list of books has been chosen for children, from Prep to Year 7, to read over the week.
During the week, schools and public libraries from all over Australia will engage students in reading activities, ranging from storytelling to reading competitions.
For more information on Book Week, advice on reading activities and to see the 2009 shortlist, see: Book Week
National Reading Day, 2 September 2009, follows Book Week and is the key event of National Literacy and Numeracy Week, which runs from 31 August – 6 September 2009.
On the day, readers are encouraged to take a Story Sharing Safari and read books from the Children’s Book Week shortlist.
The books chosen include: A Rose for the ANZAC Boys by Jackie French, Polar Boy by Sandy Fussell and The Big Little Book of Happy Sadness by Colin Thompson.
These books have been selected for their engaging storylines, which explore themes of culture and identity, and also for the wonderful illustrations offered in the younger reader books.
Using these books, schools and teachers are encouraged to design activities around the central themes of each book. Activities can range from hosting an author on the day to sharing online stories with other schools and communities.
More information
Book Week offers a range of resources for teachers to download with games and activities for each book.
For more information on National Reading Day and for ideas on what schools can do on the day, see: National Reading Day
For more information on National Literacy and Numeracy Week, see: National Literacy and Numeracy Week