On Wednesday 22nd May 2024, at 12:00 pm is National Simultaneous Storytime. It involves children reading the same book simultaneously in libraries, early learning services, schools, and homes across Australia. The book this year is Bowerbird Blues by Aura Parker.
This book follows the story of a bird, who collects different blue items, such as bread tags, scraps, and pegs. It searches far and wide to find more blue in the world, flying from cityscapes to diving under the sea. On this journey, the bird even discovers a new friend (who is not blue at all!).
About The Author
Aura Parker is an award-winning illustrator, writer and designer. Her picture books are joyful with a playful sense of humour, brimming with details to explore. Aura Parker’s storytelling through words and pictures inspires imagination, courage and confidence in young readers as well as a love, curiosity and passion for nature.
To register: National Simultaneous Storytime 2024
Registered participants have access to a range of resources including videos, audio recordings and a PDF copy of the book.
National Simultaneous Storytime (NSS) is held annually by the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA). Every year a picture book, written and illustrated by an Australian author and illustrator, is read simultaneously in libraries, schools, pre-schools, family day cares, childcare centres, family homes, bookshops and many other places around the country. Now in its 24th successful year, it is a colourful, vibrant, fun event that aims to promote the value of reading and literacy, using an Australian children's book that explores age-appropriate themes and addresses key learning areas of the National Curriculum for Foundation to Year 6.
Further Learning Opportunites
- Support the children to spot all the shades of blue in the book, such as cobalt, indigo, icy blue, and sparkling blue.
- Try to recreate these hues with the children using art mediums. Encourage the children to make their own hues and name them. This can start with blue but can be repeated with other colours.
- Explore what happens when white is added to other coloured paints and experiment with different amounts of white paint. Extend this by adding colours to playdough or food dye to water and seeing how much is needed to make lighter shades.
- Invite the children to spot different patterns in the book’s illustrations, such as stripes and swirls.
- Encourage the children to create their own bowers, just like the bowerbird! They can collect and sort different items such as counters, blocks, and natural materials by their attributes such as by pattern or weight.
- Spending time learning more about bowerbirds.
References:
Bowerbird Blues, Little Scientists
ALIA National Simultaneous Storytime 2024
