On Wednesday 31st August schools all over Australia were invited to bring together students of all ages, teachers and the local community to read together.
Whoever You Are by Mem Fox or Eric by Shaun Tan (also found in Tales from Outer Suburbia) were chosen as the Read for Australia suggested books. Both appealed to all age groups for different reasons and were linked by a theme of difference and similarity.
Some school decided to all gather in one place to read, or set up small groups across the school to read the same book at the same time. Below are some of the suggestions they considered:
- Assemble the whole school in the school hall. If you have access to an electronic imager such as a visualiser, the images can be projected onto a screen. If not, reading aloud to a large group will still be engaging.
- Alternatively, arrange small groups of students all over the school to read altogether at the same time. Invite parents and friends to come and join the groups.
- Join up with the local high or primary school nearby and read together.
- Take your class or school on the move! Set up at a local venue (the local shopping centre, library, town hall or the park) and read your chosen book out loud.
- Think about who will read. Perhaps the principal, a student, a parent, a local member of parliament, a local celebrity, an author or business person.
Involve the community
- Involve your community by inviting parents, caregivers, local businesses or local members to join you.
- Consider collaborating with the local library or bookstore. It might be just the place to have a group Read for Australia or for displaying some of your work.
- Alternatively a class may choose to visit the local preschool or nursing home to be part of Read for Australia off site. We hope all schools will involve the wider community.
Share the fun
- Invite local media including local papers, television and radio stations.
- Select ‘roving reporters’ from the student body to report on the activities in the school newsletter, on the school website, on our website or in a special publication for the Celebration of Literacy in your school.
- Create a blog or a wiki to celebrate and share the event.
Continue the discussion
- Follow up your participation in Read for Australia with these activity ideas
- Tell us about your event! To share your activities with Australia visit the gallery.
The Books
Whoever You Are by Mem Fox
Illustrated by Leslie Staub
Published by Alliance Distribution Services and Harcourt Brace
Mem Fox describes this book as being about peace and equality. Go to Mem's website to find out more about the writing of this book.
Younger readers will enjoy the simple, rhythmic story supported by delightful illustrations and older readers can explore the important messages about diversity, differences and commonalities. National Literacy and Numeracy Week is a perfect time to come together to read and talk about our differences and to celebrate our similarities. Choose this book as your selection for Read for Australia, or look at the digital story example created by Year 2 students from Windang Public School.
“Every day all over the world, children are playing, laughing and crying. They may not look the same or speak the same language, but inside they are just like you.”
This is a book that celebrates diversity, different cultures and people from all over the world. The divergent, naïve-art illustrations by Leslie Staub depict children from all over the world traveling, eating, going to school and working.
“Remember this: Joys are the same, and love is the same. Pain is the same, and blood is the same. Smiles are the same, and hearts are just the same…”
Eric by Shaun Tan
Published by Allen & Unwin
This book provides a perfect alternative for older students for Read for Australia and contains some similar themes. Eric is a short story appearing in Tales from Outer Suburbia, a collection of short stories by the award winning writer/illustrator, Shaun Tan.
As well as appearing in Tales from Outer Suburbia there is a small Eric-sized edition of this story. Visit Shaun's website to find out more about the books and the author.
Go to Allen and Unwin’s website for information about the author and more about Tales from Outer Suburbia. Use the link on the site to go to the BookShow ABC Radio National to listen to Shaun Tan giving the 2009 Colin Simpson Memorial lecture explaining how he began telling stories without words.