The 22nd – 27th August marks 75 years of The Children’s Book Council of Australia’s Book Week.
This year’s theme is Old Worlds, New Worlds and Other Worlds, and it allows us to reflect on the power a good book to help us escape into new worlds.
Celebrating Reading
Reading is one of the most important activities that take place in our Homework Program. Whether it’s reading aloud with our volunteers or quietly enjoying a novel, you can always expect to find a child at the Brigade with their nose tucked into a good book.
Reading makes learning fun, allowing children to use their imaginations to develop literacy skills. Through reading, children extend their vocabulary, understand sentence structure, find meaning in words and improve their writing. It allows children to escape to new worlds by visualising images of the story. This helps to create a quiet, calm and relaxing mind!
Book Week at The Girls & Boys Brigade
Our children are always excited to show off their costumes as they dress up as their favourite book characters for book parades at school.
Though we are unable to celebrate Book Week in person this year, we can still celebrate our favourite books. We have put together a list of books from The Girls & Boys Brigade library that embrace Old, New and Other Worlds!
Our picks for Kindergarten, Year 1 and Year 2
The Voyage by Robert Vesico and Andrea Edmonds
Displaced by war and conflict, a refugee family sets out on a voyage into the unknown. Told in only a few words, this is the powerful story of a family fleeing their war-torn country and making a dangerous trip across the ocean to a new life in a new land.
Born to Fly by Beverly McWilliams and Timothy Ide
An inspiring true story of a young Australian hero who proved that anything is possible if you believe in yourself and follow your dreams. Born in 1889 on a farm in rural South Australia, Harry Butler was determined to fly. Follow Harry’s remarkable journey from studying the flight of his chickens to becoming one of Australia’s most significant pioneer aviators
This Small Blue Dot by Zeno Sworder
A young girl introduces the newest member of her family to the small wonders, big lessons and other important stuff that make being a child so special.
Our picks for Year 3 and Year 4
Frankie Fish and the Great Wall of Chaos by Peter Helliar
Pranksters Frankie Fish and Drew Bird have got hold of Grandad’s time machine, but it’s no laughing matter. Grandad and Nanna have disappeared to 17th century China, and it’s up to Frankie and Drew to save them!
Robot, The Future is Now by Charles Hope
Robots are a fascinating and divisive subject. Many people believe they are destined to make our lives easier, while some believe they could be misused with terrible consequences. Take an in-depth look at this amazing technology and how it is already being used in Robots: The Future is Now!
The Kid who came from Space – Ross Welford
A small village in the wilds of Northumberland is rocked by the disappearance of twelve-year-old Tammy. Only her twin brother, Ethan, knows she is safe – and the extraordinary truth of where she is. It is a secret he must keep, or risk never seeing her again.
Our picks for Year 5 and Year 6
The Hobbit by J.R.R Tolkien
Bilbo Baggins enjoys a quiet and contented life, with no desire to travel far from the comforts of home; then one day the wizard Gandalf and a band of dwarves arrive unexpectedly and enlist his services – as a burglar – on a dangerous expedition to raid the treasure-hoard of Smaug the dragon. Bilbo’s life is never to be the same again.
Malala, My story of standing up for girls’ rights by Malala Yousafzai
The extraordinary true story of a young girl’s courage in the face of violence and extremism, and an incredible testament to what can be achieved when we stand up for what we believe in. Raised in a changing Pakistan by an enlightened father from a poor background and a beautiful, illiterate mother, Malala was taught to stand up for her beliefs. When terrorists took control of her region and declared that girls were forbidden from going to school, Malala refused to sacrifice her education. And on 9 October 2012, she nearly paid the ultimate price for her courage when she was shot on her way home from school.
Zenobia by Morten Dürr
Zenobia was once a great warrior queen of Syria whose reign reached from Egypt to Turkey. She was courageous. No-one gave her orders. Once she even went to war against the emperor of Rome. When things feel overwhelming for Amina, her mother reminds her to think of Zenobia and be strong. Amina is a Syrian girl caught up in a war that reaches her village. To escape the war she boards a small boat crammed with other refugees. The boat is rickety and the turbulent seas send Amina overboard. In the dark water Amina remembers playing hide and seek with her mother and making dolmas and the journey she had to undertake with her uncle to escape. And she thinks of the brave warrior Zenobia.