Hello, almost Spring! book production, events, Book Week, book gobbling, costumes, illustration, apps, everything!

Hello, peeps. How is your winter going? Cosy? Good. Perfect book-reading weather (though which weather is not perfect for book reading?).

It's been a heads-down time of late, so I'm coming up for air before diving back in again. I'm squirrelling away on Book 2 of my junior fiction series, Evie and Pog, before diving into my next NLA book with Stephanie Owen Reeder. Then it's on to Book 3 of Evie and Pog, which I hope to finish mid-January, and somewhere Christmas might be (I said might be) wedge in between!

I'm also resurfacing because this is my favourite time of year - so much happening, especially CBCA Book Week. There's a heap of glorious KidLit events happening, too. See my recent post on the opening of the Story Time Australian Children's Literature Exhibition right here.

I'm starting this post with Story Box Library. I have always loved what they do. I still remember when Nicole Brownlee started the site, and it continues to go from strength to strength. It was a joy and an honour to film with them at the National Library of Australia recently, where I recorded two story readings--one of them Mamie. (Will reveal the second one soon!)

I recently gifted a SBL subscription to my little great niece Lexi, so she can see her great aunt reading Mamie (of which she has a copy) and so she can enjoy the jam-packed line-up of story readings. I love that her mum and dad know how important books are for little ones. Anyhoo, I can't recommend SBL heartily enough--for both schools and home. What a treat to immerse in brilliant stories, read by a cornucopia of talent.

Here is my Mamie preview, below, or you can view it on the SBL site right here. We also filmed a little bonus video where I show original artwork and talk about the production process behind the book. You can see it, and my SBL Testimonial, right here.

Story Box Library videos

I recently filmed with the glorious peeps at Story Box Library. Here are the two Mamie videos and my SBL Testamonial. Another reading will be popping up in a wee while! Stay tuned.

You can follow SBL on Instagram by clicking the poster below, and here they are on Facebook!

Story Time Australian Children's Literature Exhibition opening event

That's me there, above, barely able to contain myself. Can you see I'm ready to burst? Because I was peeping like a chick while this photo was being taken. I'm about to walk into Wonderland. And I'm about to fall in love all over again with children's books, if that's at all possible. I'm not even sure it is, but perhaps it's true that love can ceaselessly expand.

The Story Time: Australian Children's Literature Exhibition opening was held at the National Library of Australia last night, and what a breathtaking event. The exhibition is so exquisite and so comprehensive, it's hard to give a full outline, so here is a peek at the event and the treasures held in the exhibit. Needless to say, from the very first children's book printed in Australia (A Mother's Offering to Her Children) to  Chinese versions of the 13-Storey Treehouse, this is pure children's literature heaven.

Created in partnership by the National Centre for Australian Children's Literature and the National Library, and curated by Grace Blakeley-Carroll, this is truly something you cannot miss.

Let's open the front cover!

chief minister's reading challenge visit

I had the great pleasure of visiting Rosary PS here in Canberra today, as part of my role as an Ambassador for the Chief Minister's Reading Challenge. What could be more fun than talking books, showing how books are made, celebrating books, sharing books, laughing about books, and reminding children how much fun they are (not to mention how they make their brains and hearts grow super huge).

Chief Minister's Reading Challenge 2017

The Chief Minister's Reading Challenge is a glorious literacy initiative in the ACT, and yesterday I had the great pleasure of visiting Maribyrnong Primary School in Canberra to chat to the kids about books, books, books--and how very much squirrels love books. These are smart kids. They agreed.

What a beautiful, warm welcome and what a clutch of bright, curious, book-loving kids (a sure sign there's some phenomenal teaching going on). Kids never, ever fail to astound and delight me with their knowledge and the way they think. It was wonderful to spend time with them, and it's great to see so many schools participating in the CMRC every year--from Canberra and our region. I love it when schools place literacy as such a high priority... it's a vital life skill, after all, and can really, truly change lives.

After a wonderful introduction, I took the kids through book type, genre and the book creation process.

I have this REALLY scary shark picture in this brilliant 3D book, which I try to scare the kids with. They never scare. They just laugh. It's so annoying.

This book, Metropolis, always elicits oohs and ahhs. It's 10 feet long. Who wouldn't ooh and ahh? Who wouldn't go bananas over books, in general? They are just that good.

Big thanks to Hannah and Jo from the CMRC for organising this visit, and for coming along. If you want to learn more about the Reading Challenge for your school, just click on the poster below. It's wonderful stuff.

Make 'em Read: more ways to encourage reading in kids

{first published in Maeve magazine, summer 2011}

Opening scene: Six-year-old curls up in sunny corner like a cat, book clutched in hand. Cue music. Small hand reaches out and strokes cover illustration dreamily. Hand moves to edge of cover. Music swells. Hand opens book. Title page appears. Child tumbles inside and is forever lost.

Alice falls through the darkness and lands on a pirate ship with a long silver swagger. A snake slithers down the mast, deep into the jungle where a baby deer scampers past a giant rolling peach. On a snow-capped mountain, a yodelling princess calls to her nanny as she floats away, clutching an umbrella. A lion roars. A treetop spins – a new world appears… and life will never be the same again.

Life-changing, breathtaking, transforming, enlightening – books open the brains of our children like a can of beans and cram wonderful stuff in there. Books stretch the synapses in the brain. They shuffle perception, expand the imagination, drag emotion through the wringer and provide a place of solace, comfort, hilarity and fantastical adventure.

But books aren’t flash dandies. They are patient and humble. Undemanding. In a world crammed to bursting with flashing with electronic gizmos that drain the creative life force from our offspring, getting kids to engage in the written word (and its inherent lack of flashing lights and sound bytes) and kick starting the LCD screens of their own imagination can be quite a Mt Everest feat.

Whether your children are book-shunners or book-devourers, these ideas are sure to unlock an unparalleled appreciation and hunger for stories. Open wide – come inside. It’s magic.

Poppets (age 0 – 2)

Babies in-utero-young are the perfect age to start with a book. The tone, cadence and language rhythm permeating the watery environment of an unborn child will prepare them for many years of bedtime storytelling. Comforting, familiarising and entertaining, read books with rhythm (think Dr Seuss and Lynley Dodd) and use plenty of tonal variation and expression.

For newborn babies, give books as a welcome gift or have a baby shower of books, proffering your own vintage faves or modern loves. Don’t stop at baby board books – treasured classics baby can grow into are just as important.

Older infants from three to nine months thrive on visual and audio cues, so books that stimulate and offer bright contrast are perfect. Child’s Play have a series of baby books that feature interactive titles. Pop-up books are also totally engaging, though keep them away from little fingers!

Toddlers rough and tumble their books, making board books essential. It’s vital children are allowed to immerse themselves in books without parents fussing over bent pages. While I personally kybosh drawing in books, giving them a well-loved, dog-eared appearance is what it’s all about. Go ahead and let them devour their books – both literally and figuratively. If you’re feeling precious about a particular book, save it for later.

When reading to toddlers, pick your time and place. Bedtime is perfect but also choose quiet times during the day, after lunch or before naps. Don’t force a toddler to sit and listen to a book. If they can’t focus, try again later. Half a book read is better than no book read.

Keep piles of books in play spaces for children to browse through at their bidding.

Select books yourself but also ask your child to choose. And be prepared for repeat-reading demands. It’s normal, it’s nice (okay, perhaps a little mind-bending) but repetition is critical for comprehension, word retention, reading skills and pure enjoyment. Sorry, but you’ll be reciting Little Miss Spider verbatim in no time.

Keep reluctant readers engaged by using major (and often embarrassing) vocal expression and lots of loud noises. Gasps, laughter, yelling, clapping and voice changes are hugely effective.

Use props – musical instruments, toys, food, hand signals and physical movement. Get up from your chair and encourage your little one to stomp along on that bear hunt or munch through that watermelon like a caterpillar.

When you’ve finished reading, hand the book to your toddler to ‘read’ themselves. Do this every single time you read a book.

Chatterboxes (age 3 – 5)

This age group are often voraciously addicted to books, particularly picture books, interactive books and rhythmic readers. Expose them to junior fiction at this age, even if you are the one doing the reading. Be sure text is relatively minimal and drawings are included on every page.

Continue reading to this age group but encourage child interaction by pointing to words and commenting with more detail on pictures. Ask your child to read the odd word themselves.

At the end of a book, ask simple questions about the story. This helps kids become even more involved.

Using vocal inflection and voices for characters is still highly effective. Encourage kids to create their own onomatopoeia – splash! woosh! crunch!

Saturate them with non-fiction books – this age loves facts and figures, especially atlases, cooking, craft, travel and books that show how things work, like the inner workings of the body, machines, buildings. Books showing people are particularly entrancing – this is an ideal time to introduce the mind-expanding diversity of other cultures.

Creative Masterminds (age 6 – 10)

A huge shift occurs in this age group, when children morph from picture books to chapter books, junior fiction and beyond. Take advantage of the large variety of ‘in-between’ books by matching the tone, style and reading competency with your child. Many of these books come in series – try the first of the series, then invest in the rest if they hold interest.

Books like the Battle Boy and Zac Power series are ideal for boys in this age group who struggle with reading; these books offer storylines with large font and short chapters, studded with cool graphics and older-boy speak.

Allow your child to choose books. Don’t have delusions of grandeur about your daughter falling in love with Anne of Green Gables just like you did – it probably won’t happen (try again later!). Show your child a variety of options and allow them to be drawn to the books that hold their interest (yes, yes, even if it’s always soccer or ponies).

Children of this age continue to enjoy having books read to them, although the continued use of physical and vocal antics can be distracting; children are now able to imagine for themselves how books should look and sound. Tone it down.

Graphic novels are fantastic for both boys and girls who become overwhelmed with pictureless fiction. Storylines can be sophisticated yet the text is broken by brilliant illustrative work that adds another dimension to the reading experience. Even comics are perfectly acceptable so long as they’re complemented by a relentless offering of other more substantial books.

Humour is an enormous advantage and is sure to attract even the most reluctant reader. All things gross, freaky, silly, marvellous and whacky is perfect for both boys and girls. Try Roald Dahl, Dave Hackett and Jeff Kinney.

Wordless picture books are fantastic at this age, as they enhance an understanding of story through visual literacy. This is priceless for a child's imagination and their ability to absorb nuance.

Know-It-Alls (age 11+)

By this age, you want to give jaded, seen-it-all-before tweens and teens something a little more out-there. Many kids are more than ready to read young adult and even adult books by the age of 14 and 15, so you’ll have to just get over it and go with the flow. You can’t make them cling to the Wombles forever.

The middle fiction and young adult book markets are absolutely brilliant in their quality and variety. Kids will want to read what their friends are reading, but also encourage them to look further afield and read independent, unsensationalised talent (which is considerable). Movie tie-ins are popular at this age, so pounce on the correlation quickly.

It’s a mistake to think children are past picture books at this age. There are many brilliant books (think Shaun Tan, John Marsden, Mark Wilson and Nathan Jurevicius) that take on older themes and do them beautifully for older readers. Graphic novels are ideal now, too.

Tips to Open your Child’s Brain and Pour Stories In

• Visit the library monthly. Book it into your schedule. Don’t forget to take the kids.
• Ask your child to name the author and illustrator of their books. Show them where the title and subtitle are. Talk to them about the verso page (publication page) and endpapers. Take them to author/illustrator websites. Show your children books are not just flat, inert objects, but living, breathing creations made by real people and often with years and years of hard work.
• Browse publisher websites for new releases that might entrance your child. Bricks and mortar bookstores can’t possibly carry everything and so many brilliant books are missed, especially those released by indie publishers. They say books have a shelf-life of yoghurt, too, so they'll quickly disappear unless they're classics.
• Frequent children’s literature blogs for the latest on new books and priceless advice. My website Kids' Book Review is a perfect starting point.
• Host a book swap if your child’s library is seriously depleting.
• Let children of all ages catch you reading. Often.

International Book Giving Day 2017

14 February 2017

The International Book Giving Day team, founded and headed by my gorgeous friend and colleague, Emma Perry, is delighted to announce that Marianne Dubuc is the illustrator behind 2017’s official poster. Isn't it just divine!?

Now in its fifth year, International Book Giving Day (IBGD) continues to grow from strength to strength, reaching places such as Nepal, India, Canada, South Africa, UK, France, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, Italy, Nigeria, Fiji, Czech Republic, USA, Cambodia, Hungary, The Philippines and Romania.

On the 14th of February, #bookgivingday participants are encouraged to give books to children.

This can take many forms, the only limit is your imagination. Books have been sent to child refugees in Calais, France; a new library was created in Cape Town, South Africa; in Uganda the Mpambara-Cox Foundation gifted books to children, and for many, it was the first time they have been given a book of their own. In 2014, Scholastic Australia went to the Melbourne Children’s Hospital and gifted a book to every child. People continue to be creative in so many different ways, all keen to share the love of books. More examples can be viewed here.

Turning the commercialisation of Valentine’s Day on its head, people across the globe are encouraged to spread the love of reading by getting books into the hands of as many children as possible on 14 February.

Learn more about IBGD here and about Marianne Dubuc here.

On Feb 14, I'll be giving books to kids. When you've finished gobbling chockies and smelling the roses, won't you do the same?

Goulburn Reader Writer Festival this weekend!

The Goulburn Reader Writer Festival is on this weekend--12 and 13 November--an inaugural event that's absolutely jam-packed with fun for families. 

On Saturday 12, I'll be doing a book reading with other fab authors, Edwina Wyatt and Danielle McDonald, in the Goulburn Library courtyard at 12.30pm--see here for details.

Then I'll be on a panel discussion with George Ivanoff and Danielle McDonald at 1.30pm. We'll be talking about the magic of reading to kids. See more here.

There's also a full day of events on Sunday. It promises to be a fabulous weekend--hope to see you there!

Seeing Stories Finale Event wrap-up

Today I had the great pleasure of attending the Seeing Stories Exhibition Finale Event at the University of Canberra. Organised by the National Centre for Australian Children's Literature (NCACL) and featuring hand-picked originals by some of our finest illustration talent, including Terry Denton, Ann James, Alison Lester and Bob Graham, The Hub was alive with stunning artworks, authors, illustrators, kids and book lovers.

This exhibit is but a small slice of the precious John Barrow collection, now owned by the NCACL.

Bob Graham

Rhys reading Smile Cry

This video is one of my greatest treasures. Thanks to The Styling Mama. 

National Simultaneous Storytime 2016

It's on again! National Simultaneous Storytime 2016 goes live at 11am on Wednesday 25 May 2016. Readers all over the country will be reading the same book at the same time--how cool is that?

I will be at Dickson Library in Canberra for this fabulous event, which aims to encourage kids to fall in love with reading. I'll be reading Jol and Kate Temple's sensationally funny book I Got This Hat. I'll also be reading two of my own books--Smile Cry and Tottie and Dot.

Hope to see you there! It's FREE but do register here.

Chief Minister's Reading Challenge - school visit

One of the great joys of being a children's author, is chatting with kids about story--and hopefully, just hopefully, having them fall in love with books.

In my role as an ambassador for the Chief Minister's Reading Challenge for 2016, I get to have that chance even more than I regularly do. I also get to visit brand new schools, like Charles Weston school in the far west of Canberra--a brand new, state-of-the-art school, with fabulous kids eager to learn and grow.

I talked to them about books--about writing books, illustrating books, reading books, loving books. I talked about how much fun books can be, and how important story is. The kids were so receptive and so curious. They giggled and commented and asked questions and threw themselves straight into the pages of the books I'd brought along, the very moment they could. Now--that's what we want.

One of my favourite moments was showing them a 3D story called Jim Curious. These three little poppets (below) donned their 3D glasses, only to be met with a rather ferocious shark! They loved it--and they were so brave! (Note the little one biting her nail!)

Article in The Canberra Times for Smile Cry

An article for the Canberra Times (in syndication) today about the importance of emotion and subtlety in storytelling, and never dumbing it down for kids.

Read the article on the Sydney Morning Herald website here.

Chief Minister's Reading Challenge

From Monday 22 February to Friday 9 September 2016, the Chief Minister's Reading Challenge for the ACT, will be in full swing. Kids all over the territory are invited to participate in this wonderful initiative--and all they need to do is read 15 books in that time (or many, many more, of course!).

Schools can register for the Challenge online and each student keeps an individual reading record. Books can include anything that interests them, from poetry to novels and non-fiction.

I'm so excited to be a CMRC ambassador for 2016, along with other local book aficionados, Irma Gold, Jack Heath, Tracey Hawkins and Virginia Haussegger.

Learn more about how to participate here, and meet the 2016 Ambassadors here. We will be visiting schools around town these coming six months... I hope to see you at your school!

International Book Giving Day 2016

Tomorrow, 14 February, is International Book Giving Day!

Perfectly timed with Valentine's Day--what could be more loving that giving the gift of story ... and literacy? You can give books to your kids, to your partner, to your friends or colleagues. You can give books to medical centres or women's shelters or to strangers. Or you can even give them to yourself.

Tomorrow I'll be handing a stash of books I've been saving to up - to random kids in the street. I'll also be heading to a local bookstore to buy up tomes for my kids--and thankfully, it will be my birthday next week and I always gift myself books for my birthday!

Who will you be giving a book to this IBGD? Be sure to use the #bookgivingday hashtag to share your activity!

Australian Kids Through the Years on the cover of Scholastic's Teacher's Bookshelf

Such a lovely moment to have my son bring home the latest Scholastic Teacher's Bookshelf from school, and see Australian Kids Through the Years on the cover!

Book Launch for Australian Kids Through the Years

We had the loveliest launch for Australian Kids Through the Years at the National Library today, during their Imaginarium Family Day.

What an amazing afternoon--seeing kids descend en masse for all manner of cool happenings, from mini helicopter flying to an enormous chessboard, 3D printing, paper plane fyling, musical instruments made from fruit, the Scrabble Championship and of course--authors!

Stephanie Owen Reeder (above) had littlies grooving along to her Dance Like a Pirate book, followed by Pauline Deeves (below) and her glimpse into the past--how life was lived a hundred years ago and how dolls were often made from hankies (her hanky was clean)!

Encouraging Children to Read for Pleasure, Part 2

This is the second in my Reading for Pleasure articles. To see Part 1, click here.

Genre

One of the greatest things we can do to encourage kids to read for pleasure is to find ways for them to connect with works they can relate to and enjoy. The bulk and variety of books available on the market is astounding, and our local book industry boasts a formidable amount of quality books. This can overwhelm adults, let alone children, let alone reluctant readers.

My suggestion is to look at genre.

For teachers and librarians, creating some kind of book genre feature or event would be a great way to sift through the literary mire. Book-lovers will be there, on your doorstep but focusing on one genre more intently will bring in the stragglers—if they happen to resonate with that particular genre. So perhaps July is picture book month. August is illustrated junior fiction. September is young adult fiction with a romance focus or a focus on death.

We already know that once a child engages with a particular book, they eagerly lap up any further titles in the series. This sends a clear message that once children engage with a certain style, character, genre or even author, they’ll continue to seek out and read books of this nature. You can find books in varying genre on Kids’ Book Review.

Even when we identify genre, we will need to connect kids to books BEFORE we connect them to reading. We need to make books cool. Indispensable. Worth the time invested, and the literacy effort. We can’t insist. We can’t make it a chore. We can’t expect them to engage in a struggle, whether by content or competency. Kids don’t care about the priceless end-value of full adult literacy. They only know here and now. And here and now is all about them. About enjoyment and pleasure.

Deterrents 

So, we know how to encourage kids to read for pleasure, but what are the pleasure deterrents to avoid?

Encouraging Children to Read for Pleasure, Part 1

Books are extraordinary objects. They may be comprised of ink and paper, but once opened wide, some kind of magic happens, and entire worlds tumble out. Books enchant, enlighten and educate. They befriend and support. They can take you on a journey. They have the capacity to lift, move and surprise. They can provide buoyancy, and sometimes, they can even rescue.

Reading brings colour, vigour, entertainment and satisfaction. It builds self-confidence, competence and intelligence. It fosters hope delight and creativity. It hones aptitude, imagination and independence. Engagement with storytelling links directly to emotional development, greater social skills, wider horizons and broader general knowledge. It can make kids more articulate, develops higher order reasoning, and promotes critical thinking. It brings with it an internal sense of freedom that only fluent readers can ever know.

Alas, there are so many who do not know that freedom. As an ambassador for the National Year of Reading (2012), our central message was to create a book culture in the home—to start with the child when they’re very young. To create a love of reading for PLEASURE. If parents read to their kids from the start, children begin to associate reading with being loved. If children can fall in love with books and reading via the avenue of pleasure and being loved, we have a far greater possibility of fostering life-long readers.

We want kids to see reading as a joy, not a chore.

Resources for Authors and Illustrators

I really do believe that sharing is caring, most especially when it comes to books, however, a note that I'm not available to meet, mentor or give individualised advice on how to write, illustrate or publish. 

Good news is... here you will find a heap of links to many and varied resources that will help you on your way, but the most important advice I could possibly give you is threefold.

First: do not expect to progress your journey rapidly and without having to do the work, the research, and to go through the experiences yourself. Everyone's journey is unique and there are no shortcuts or quick answers. It takes time. Oftentimes, a long time. Get industry involved and get to know people. Join associations with boundless resources and information, like the SCBWI, the CBCA, the ASA, Illustrators Australia, and your local writers centre.

Second: Don't expect established creators to be available to have their brains 'picked'. And if you do happen to receive advice from one, no matter how scant, don't forget to thank - especially when you don't get what you want. Kindness, gratitude and real relationships are everything in this business. No one wants to feel used and everyone wants to work with warm people.

Third: Be a doer not a talker. Write write write. Draw draw draw. Ever expand and grow yourself and your skillset. Get involved in your industry and develop real relationships--it will exponentially fast-forward your journey, and you'll have endless support and resources at your fingertips.

But wait--there's more!

On my blog and via some external links, you'll find many and varied resources to help you on your writing or illustrating journey--and even if you don't write or illustrate (and are just a creative person trying to forge your ideal path), there's plenty here for you, too.

Listed below are several resources for you to enjoy and learn from. Most are free and the KBR eBooks are just $4.95.

There are articles, experiences, questions answered, and even an e-book crammed with almost 30 years of writing, editing and publishing experience.

I hope they help you shine, you clever thing.