This week, we are celebrating Children’s Book Week, and the theme for this year – Reading is Magic! The magic of books has been a source of joy in my life for as long as I can remember, and it still casts its spell on me today.
As a young mum with three energetic primary schoolers, Book Week was a whirlwind of excitement in our household. Of course, it wasn’t without its challenges – especially when costume prep was left until the last minute. Each child would excitedly choose their favourite book character, and suddenly, I was on a mission to create the perfect costume for the big day. Don’t be impressed, the costumes were never perfect. I remember late nights spent cutting, sewing, and gluing, hoping to have the perfect pirate, princess, Goldilocks, or cowboy ready for the next day. There were no fancy dress stores back then, so every costume was a labor of love. On Book Day the entire school would gather to watch each class parade their Book Week characters. Every year, I looked forward to going along to watch the Book Week Parade, and hoping the costumes I’d made, would stay together until the end of the day.
During the past week, children all over Australia have continued to celebrate Book Week in schools, libraries, and bookstores. They have been taking part in book character parades and literary displays, while the Children’s Book Council of Australia has judged and presented awards to honour outstanding books for children.
Click out the link to check out the Book of the Year Award Winners for 2024
A Walk Down Memory Lane: My Favorite Children’s Books
One of my all-time favourite children’s books is the Heidi series by Johanna Spyri, a story I read countless times starting at around age eight. Just looking at the cover brings back a flood of memories. The story of Heidi, an orphan living with her gruff but loving grandfather on a Swiss mountainside, captivated my heart. Heidi’s friendship with Peter the goat-herd and her idyllic life in the mountains were everything to her – until she was forced to leave it all behind to live in the city with a sickly girl who couldn’t even play. I remember worrying about Heidi, wondering if she would ever see her grandfather and the mountains again. Even sixty years later, the story remains vivid in my mind.
Another beloved book in our house, which wasn’t one from my own childhood, but one that my three children adored was the Australian classic: Mulga Bill’s Bicycle by A.B.Paterson. This story brought endless laughter to our bedtime routine for years. My two sons and my daughter loved it so much, that each of them had their own copy. There was no way the older ones were letting go of their book. The story of Mulga Bill, who gives up his trusty horse for a bicycle (much to his regret), became a cherished part of our nightly rituals. To this day, I’m certain each of my children would name it as their childhood favourite, and possibly still be able to recite their favourite lines.
What about you? Do you have any cherished memories of Book Week? I’d love to hear your stories!
Image by artist, Jess Racklyeft’s, creative licence. Images are copyright protected and permission is granted to use image by Children’s Book Council of Australia.
to use these images to advertise 2024 Children’s Book Week® events and activities.