Momo celebrating time to read: Celebration

Showing posts with label Celebration. Show all posts

Wednesday, August 20, 2025

Australian School Library Day

The theme for 2025 is 'All the Literacies'.

A well-resourced school library with supported staff is the most precious and effective resource a school can have when it comes to supporting reading literacy, reading for pleasure

and whole school reading initiatives.

Image Source: Students Need School Libraries

It is Children's Book Week here in Australia and SO some media focus is on libraries and especially school libraries, so the timing of this celebration seems perfect.

Australian School Library Day was started in 2022 by Students Need School Libraries. The purpose of Australian School Library Day is to celebrate and highlight the glorious variety of things that your school library staff do - especially those things that may normally be ‘hidden’ from view but are so essential to the far-reaching web of impact that the school library has in your school. By raising awareness of the benefits of a well-resourced and suitably staffed school library we hope to ensure that future generations enjoy them as well.

The 2025 Australian School Library Day theme recognises that while school libraries are critical for reading literacy to be meaningful and enduring, they are also essential to EVERY long -term education strategy and every student deserves access to one in order to be the very best they can be, no matter where they live or what kind of learning challenges they may face.

Things I love to see when I visit a school library:

Lots of children using the space
School signs that show visitors how to find the school library
Front facing shelves that show off book covers

Concord Public Library

Displays that look fresh and in Term Three displays that celebrate the CBCA slogan
Tidy shelves - I find messy shelves off-putting
New books but also old books
Book labels in clear print and spine labels right at the bottom of the spine so the books look uniform on the shelf (take at look at these two images)

Messy - almost makes me dizzy

Better!

Perfect!

Books in great condition
Classifications that are consistent with other libraries and that make it easy for users to find specific books (read this post)
Comfortable seating
Lots of light

Clear well-designed signage
Defined collections - nonfiction, easy chapter books, picture books etc and series boxes or sections
Library staff - a trained Teacher-Librarian and library support staff
Use of the correct terms - School Library and Teacher-Librarian

Message from the Honorable Blair Boyer MP (South Australia)

on Australian School Library Day

“A librarian recommended this book to me when I was 12 called A Rag, A Bone and a Hank of Hair by Nicholas Fisk,” she says. “A good librarian asks you questions to find out what your interests are before recommending books that may be up your alley. I told them I liked sci-fi and Star Wars and they sent me in this direction. The book was written decades ago, but it just blew my mind.”

Take a look at some of my previous posts:

Wisdom for Teacher-Librarians (and teachers too)

Libraries, books, time for reading, and more

Always, Sometimes, Rarely, Never

Here are some quotes from the book Raising Readers by Megan Daley:

"Well-resourced school libraries, with exemplary teacher librarians and library support staff, develop and sustain a vibrant reading culture, promote innovative use of digital technologies and are a participatory hub within the school."

"School libraries are wonderful places which are the beating heart of many school communities and a refuge for those in need of time away from a busy school environment."

"Library displays should be dotted around the library, be ever-changing, professional, eye catching with all the books facing forwards and able to be borrowed from the display."

You might know I constantly 'bang on' about the correct term - Teacher-Librarian. Here are two of the tasks listed in ALIA statement about the role of the Teacher-Librarian that shows the scope of this vital school role:

Teacher Librarian

A teacher librarian is dual qualified in the fields of education and librarianship. They hold a recognised teaching qualification that meets eligibility for teacher registration in their respective jurisdiction, as well as an undergraduate, graduate or post graduate university qualification in library and information science that ideally includes specialisations related to the school library context and meets eligibility for Associate professional membership of ALIA.

Teacher librarians possess high-level curriculum knowledge and pedagogical expertise. In

addition to the tasks that may be undertaken by library technicians and librarians, teacher

librarians are qualified to:

• foster and maintain reading culture and reading for pleasure across the school

• specialise in literature for children and young people

Thursday, July 31, 2025

Wedding Picture Books and Junior Fiction (and bridesmaids too)

Mr. Slinger has big news.

He’s getting married.

Married!

Lilly has big plans.

She’s going to be the flower girl.

(Lilly has always wanted to be a flower girl.

Even more than a surgeon or a diva or a hairdresser.)

The Podcast "Your Kid's Next Read" (an Australian show) shared a list of books about weddings in a recent episode because one of the presenters has just been married. This got me thinking. I knew my friend at Kinderbookswitheverything had covered this topic. Also, the tiny granddaughter of another friend is about to be the flower girl at her parent's wedding. I previously gifted her the Kevin Henkes book at the top of this post.

I decided to search out wedding picture books and junior novels and compile them into a Pinterest. Megan Daley mentions Lissie Nonsense by Jan Ormerod. I didn't remember that weddings were a major theme of this book. Here is the Kirkus star review of Lizzie Nonsense. I plan to find this one in a library next week and check out the reference to weddings. I will write a blog post about Lizzie Nonsense over the coming days.

Here are the covers of some of my own favourites including many that sadly are now long out of print but which could/should be held in many school or public libraries.

The Pig's Wedding is a charming story describing the preparation and celebration of the marriage of two pigs, Porker and Curlytail. As the bride and groom, and the guests, are without proper attire, Porker comes up with the brilliant idea of painting clothing on each and every one of them. Everyone has a wonderful time at the wedding celebration, until it begins to rain. The rain washes the painted clothing off of all them! Again, Porker has a brainstorm. He tells his guests to follow him as he runs toward a huge mud puddle. They all toss their pink pig bodies into the mud and have a glorious time! Finally, with the wedding celebration over, Porker carries his bride into their new home--and paints the furnishings all over the stable walls! The ingenious pig and his wife live happily ever after.

It was such a hot summer. The sky was deep blue and the sun never faltered. All along Brambly Hedge, the mice did their best to keep cool. Poppy Eyebright sought refuge in the mossy shadows of the mill wheel; Dusty Dogwood took to walking by the banks of the cooling stream. Dusty and Poppy spent more and more time together, so no one was at all surprised when they announced their engagement. They decided on a very unusual setting for the wedding ceremony, but even they didn’t realise just how unusual it was prove to be!

Here is a review

I have previously talked about this terrific book series - Aussie Nibbles - but until I listened to the podcast I had forgotten about this one. You could also look for another older junior series - Solo and the book Make me the Flowergirl by Pamela Freeman.

Saturday, October 26, 2024

Meet Michael Rosen

Michael Rosen Day poster

You can access the full poster as a pdf here

I titled this post Meet Michael Rosen because, well I didn't speak to him, but I did see him in person twice last month so I guess I did meet Michael Rosen. The first time was at the 2024 IBBY Congress in Trieste and then again at the Festival of Words in Jersey (UK). At the Festival of Words Michael spoke to an adult audience about his newest book - Getting Better: Life lessons on going under, getting over it, and getting through it. This morning he popped up on my Facebook page announcing Michael Rosen Day. Read more and sign up here.

The day celebrates the 50th anniversary of Michael’s first ever book, and the 35th anniversary of We’re Going on a Bear Hunt. I did a little digging, and his first book was the poetry book Mind your own Business (1974).

We're going on a Bear Hunt

As you can see from the cover, Mind your own Business was illustrated by Quentin Blake. So I did a little hunting because I was interested to find a list other books Quentin Blake illustrated for Michael Rosen:

Mind Your Own Business
Wouldn't You Like to Know
The Bakerloo Flea
You Can't Catch Me
Quick, Let's Get out of Here!
Don't Put Mustard in the Custard
Smelly Jelly Smelly Fish
Under the Bed
Hard-boiled Legs
Spollyollydiddlytiddlyitis
Tea in the sugar bowl
Michael Rosen’s Sad Book
You're Thinking About Tomatoes
Mustard, Custard, Grumble Belly and Gravy
Bananas in my Ears
On the Move: Poems about Migration

Michael Rosen has a very rich website. I suggest you set aside some time to explore all his resources including videos, his book list and events (mainly in the UK). And my friend from Kinderbookswitheverything alerted me to this video where Micheal Rosen talks passionately about reading and schools and most importantly libraries.

If you are reading this post and you work in a school, head to your library NOW I am certain they will have many books by Michael Rosen. You could create a fabulous day with your students exploring his poems, picture books, and junior novels. And try to find this joke book:

At the IBBY Congress Michael Rosen based his keynote address "I, Too" by Langston Hughes.

I, too, sing America.

I am the darker brother.

They send me to eat in the kitchen

When company comes,

But I laugh,

And eat well,

And grow strong.

Tomorrow,

I’ll be at the table

When company comes.

Nobody’ll dare

Say to me,

“Eat in the kitchen,”

Then.

Besides,

They’ll see how beautiful I am

And be ashamed—

I, too, am America.

His presentation was a brilliant lesson on how to elicit meaningful discussions with a group of students and how students need time to think about a poem like this. He worries about the UK teaching focus on retrieval of facts and not interpretation. His presentation will appear in full in the IBBY Journal Bookbird.

And then he had the whole audience of 700 delegates reciting this poem from Michael Rosen's Big Book of Bad Things. In this video you can see Michael talking about and performing his poem:

Hand on the bridge

feel the rhythm of the train.

Hand on the window

feel the rhythm of the rain.

Hand on your throat

feel the rhythm of your talk.

Hand on your leg

feel the rhythm of your walk.

Hand in the sea

feel the rhythm of the tide.

Hand on your heart

feel the rhythm inside.

Hand on the rhythm

feel the rhythm of the rhyme.

Hand on your life

feel the rhythm of time.

hand on your life

feel the rhythm of time

hand on your life

feel the rhythm of time.

Here is one is his newer books:

This is a perfect book to share with a group of older students

Michael’s reading manifesto:

1. Reading books helps children make the most of what school and the world offer them.

2. Books give children language, thoughts, ideas and feelings.

3. Books show them places and times and cultures very near and dear to them.

4. Books show them places and times and cultures they may not have come across before.

5. Books help children walk in other people’s shoes, seeing things from someone else’s point of view.

6. Books help children see that they are not alone.

7. We have to do what we can to put books into children’s hands.

8. We have to do what we can to find space and time for children to talk about books.

9. We have to celebrate children’s books.

10. Children’s books are for everyone because we are all children at some time or another.

On this blog I have previously talked about these books. Pop the name Michael Rosen into my search bar or search for a specific title:

Here is an abridged list of awards given to Michael Rosen:

Oxfordshire Book Award 2009 for ‘Dear Mother Goose’
Children’s Laureate 2007-2009
English Association ‘Exceptional’ Award for Sad Book
Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor ‘Commended’ Award for Sad Book
National Literacy WOW Award 2005 Alphabet Poem
An International Reading Association Teachers’ Choices Winner 1999 (USA) Classic Poetry
Eleanor Farjeon Award for distinguished services to children’s literature 1997
National Association of Parenting Pub Best Book Award 1993 (USA) Poetry For The Very Young
Japanese Outstanding Picture Book from Abroad 1991 We’re Going On A Bear Hunt
School Library Journal Best Book of the Year 1990 (USA) We’re Going On A Bear Hunt
Smarties Best Children’s Book of the Year Award 1990 We’re Going On A Bear Hunt
Signal Poetry Award 1982 You Can’t Catch Me

My own favourite Michael Rosen book that I previously shared with hundreds of children in my school library is Hairy Tales and Nursery Crimes. You can hear Michael reading one of the stories from this book here. And Little Bo Peep; Jack and the Tin Stalk, Old Mother Hubbard, Hush a bye Gravy, Little Bo Peep.

Saturday, February 10, 2024

New Clothes for New Year's Day by Hyun-Ju Bae

"Today is New Year's Day.

It's a new year

it's a new day, and

it's a new morning.

It's the first day for the beginning of everything."

New Year's Day is an important holiday in Korea. Children wear special clothes. In this book the little girl carefully puts on each piece of clothing:

"She wears a crimson silk skirt, a rainbow-striped jacket and a furry vest. She puts on cotton socks and shoes, both embroidered with flowers. She also wears a headband and ties a hair of ribbon of red and gold to the end of the braid. Her hat protects her from the cold as she makes her New Year visits. She also has a lucky charm and bag to hang from the jacket string."

Symbolism

Rainbow-striped jacket represents things such as water, fire, metal, wood and earth.
The striped patter represents the wish that the wearer be in harmony.
The embroidery on the socks is for good luck.

You can see the whole book here on this video. Sadly, this book is long out of print but it might be in your school or local library. Today marks the beginning of Chinese New Year celebrations but it would be good to share this book to show how this event is also celebrated in Korea. New Clothes for New Year was a 2008 USBBY notable book.

KOREAN NEW YEAR ACTIVITIES 2024 Saturday 10th February

Give gifts

In addition to yummy food and family reunions, another reason that Seollal is a special holiday is the custom of giving and receiving gifts. This gift-giving extends beyond homes to workplaces when companies usually offer each of their employees a gift as well. So the best way to celebrate would be by giving gifts.

Play folk games

We can also celebrate by participating in traditional folk games. Folk games are a major part of New Year festivities for Koreans. The most commonly played game is ‘Yut Nori,’ a traditional Korean board game. Men also go out for some kite flying, starting on the Lunar New Year and in the days leading up to the new year’s first full-moon day. For young women, ‘neol ddwigi’ is also a popular activity.

Eat Korean food

Almost any large family gathering in any culture generally revolves largely around food. So an amazing way to celebrate Korean New Year is by eating Korean food. One main dish that is considered comfort food during Korean New Year is ‘Tteokguk’ (rice cake soup). This starchy and soothing bowl of soup is a beloved New Year's tradition.

More information here.

Monday, January 1, 2024

Celebrate Special Days in 2024

More on this topic in a future post - read more here as an introduction

My local magazine Tawny Frogmouth published a list of days to celebrate in 2024. I picked out a few and added one picture book to match. I have added links to my friend Kinderbookswitheverything blog page because her blog is an outstanding resource for teachers. Her posts celebrate all sorts of days throughout the year, and she has been blogging since 2009! This post can only touch the edges of the wealth of material you will discover when you explore Kinderbookswitheverything.

January

3nd Greta Thunberg’s birthday