Book Week challenges 2026

Image source: CBCA merchandise

This is controversial but I am not a fan of Book Week dress up days or parades.  I think Book Week should be a celebration of books, reading, libraries and creative thinking, so in my school, as an alternate activity, I used to set four Book Week challenges. Sometimes kids worked on these during breaks and sometimes teachers allowed their class to complete a challenge in class time. 

My rules are simple but of course you can set your own:

• the challenge must be completed during the school day (not at home)
• the deadline for entries is 3.25pm each day
• label your work with your name and class
• up to ten winners will be announced each morning and they will each received a small prize bag there are also certificates for highly commended and commended entries
• you can visit a showcase of entries in the library during Book Week and beyond

Here are ten challenges I have created for 2026 around the slogan 'Symphony of Stories'.  Please feel free to use, adapt, adopt etc.  I suggest selecting four challenges that appeal to and you could set one each day over four days of Book Week. It takes a long time (at night) to sift through the hundreds of entries but it is also fun. I think it is important to maintain the excitement by announcing winners each day and then displaying them in your library.

Here are my 2026 ideas:

Your library needs an advertising jingle – write a song using a well-known nursery rhyme tune that encourages the youngest children to read a book or borrow a book or share a book

Books can be other shapes – not just rectangles. Make a three-page book in the shape of a musical instrument – it will need a title, cover, title page, one story page and a back cover with a blurb or for bonus points make a pop-up book that looks like an instrument

Puzzle me a puzzle – use the letters of the 2026 CBCA book week slogan 'Symphony of Stories' to design a puzzle such as a find-a-word, cross word, or a code to solve

Using music staves as your lines write the first line of your story – make it large enough to fill a whole page ready to display in the library

The members of the orchestra have heaps of spare time – make a list of instruments and suggest a great book for each player to read and present your work as a poster to display in their rehearsal room

Write a short story (one page only) that features music or musical instruments (perhaps a musical instrument could be the main character)

Illustrate the book cover for a new book which features a musical instrument or a song and add the title, plus the author and illustrator names (be inventive with these names if you like).

Design a game that includes some of the 2026 short listed picture books – it might be snakes and ladders, or a simple version of monopoly, or a card game perhaps

Choose a book that can be made into a movie – write a proposal in the form of a letter to a famous movie director suggesting which book could be a movie and which music they should use for the movie soundtrack. Did you know the movie Babe uses music by a famous composer Camille Saint-Saëns and his Symphony number 3 and Star Wars uses music from Carmina Burana by Carl Orff and Bluey also has classical music in the episode called Sleepytime from a piece called The Planets. The book you choose for this challenge could be a personal favourite or even one of the 2026 CBCA shortlisted titles.

I penned a post linking classical music and children's books a few months ago. And this post about an elephant and a piano in Thailand might also give you some inspiration. 

Happy Book Week

The Musicians of Brennan Symphony of Stories

The “Town Musicians of Bremen” tells the story of four ageing domestic animals, who after a lifetime of hard work are neglected and mistreated by their former masters. Eventually, they decide to run away and become town musicians in the city of Bremen. Contrary to the story’s title the characters never arrive in Bremen, as they succeed in tricking and scaring off a band of robbers, capturing their spoils, and moving into their house.

Brian Wildsmith (see inside this book here)

Hans Wilhelm

Bernadette Watts

Gerda Muller

Thinking about the 2026 CBCA (Children's Book Council of Australia) slogan "Symphony of Stories" I had a chance meeting with a parent from a local school and she mentioned the younger children were about to perform The Musicians of Bremen.

There are plenty of picture book versions of this folk tale that you could explore in your library.

The tale was first published in 1819 in the second edition of Grimms’ Fairy Tales and there is a statue in the actual town of Bremen. 

If you want to take a deep dive into the story here is a very academic analysis. I also found a fairly sophisticated audio version.

Lisbeth Zwerger

The four animals put their heads together and came up with a plan. The donkey placed his front hooves on the windowsill. The dog jumped on the donkey's back. The cat climbed on top of the dog. And the rooster flew up and perched on the cat's head.

At a signal, they all began to perform their music at once: the donkey brayed, the dog barked, the cat yowled, and the rooster crowed. Then they crashed through the window into the room, sending glass flying everywhere! The noise was so tremendous that the robbers leaped from their seats, certain that a ghost had burst in, and they fled into the forest in terror.

This illustration is by Hans Fischer (1944)

This is a 2019 book from Korea

This one is from 2009 - illustrated by Katrin Stangl

One Sweet Song by Jyoti Rajan Gopal illustrated by Sonia Sanchez

A joyful celebration of music and community. Kirkus

Bookseller blurb: In a quiet neighborhood, a single note trills through the air. Another note joins, and then another. One by one, curious people are drawn to their windows, doorways, and balconies to support the medley. Professional musicians play instruments from around the world, while others bang pots and pans. All are welcome as the notes swirl and dip and crescendo, coming together to make one sweet song. And when the music fades and this diverse neighborhood is once again silent, the reverberations of unity remain. Written by a kindergarten teacher and inspired by the balcony singing in Italy during the pandemic—with a countdown from one to ten and back gently woven in—this rhythmic synergy of text and art is a buoyant, global-minded celebration of how music connects us, even in the darkest of times.

Do you remember some of the special parts of those Covid-19 lockdowns? I know it was a complex time but there were tiny moments of community joy such as people who placed teddy bears in their windows, chalk drawn games on the footpath, and shared music. 

Here in my street on ANZAC day, at dawn, someone played their trumpet and others joined in with sounds of the bird dawn chorus as an accompaniment - it was a magical morning.

In Italy and other countries people played music on balconies joining their sounds together into shared pieces and that is the premise of this story. As a bonus this book is a counting book one to ten and back again so it will appeal to very young children and many of the musical instruments are sure to be unfamiliar to your library group so there is also scope with this book for further exploration of instruments from around the world. AND you must link this book with the CBCA 2026 Book Week slogan Symphony of Stories. Instruments in this story: ghatam, flute, triangle, drums, cello, and a morsing. 

This lyrical counting book uses rhyme and color to celebrate the power of music and connection.  Rich vocabulary in charming couplets make for a delightful read aloud and the premise of the story is sure to inspire conversations about community and how to add more beauty in our everyday lives.  Vibrant, joyous digital illustrations depict a diverse group of neighbors of various ages and family units sharing their talents and instruments, and readers will love finding their favorite characters on each page spread.  YS Book Reviews

You can see more books by Jyoti Rajan Gopal here and other books illustrated by Sonia Sanchez:

Evelyn del Rey is Moving Away

The Paper Piano by Rachel Ip illustrated by Natelle Quek

Publisher blurb: When Noah hears beautiful piano music sweeping through the train station, he longs to play. Without a piano of his own, he carefully crafts one out of paper, and the notes fill his head night and day. Until finally, with the help of a neighbour, his musical dream comes true . . . An inspirational picture book about the power of perseverance and music, celebrating the joy that railway station pianos can bring to all.

Take a look at the labels I have assigned to this post - Piano (yes Noah hears a piano and then really wants to learn how to play. Other suggested instruments just won't satisfy him); Determination (his mum says he has to wait until he is older but Noah does not want to wait so he makes a paper piano); Kindness (thank goodness for the neighbour who has a piano and even better she agrees to help Noah learn); and finally Practice (Noah loves playing, but playing well is not an instant process. He is happy to practice and then one day he is also able to perform just like the person he originally saw at the railway station). 

Image source: Natelle Quek

I have the 'idea' of buying a piano on my own wish list. I did have one as a child. This sweet picture book makes me think I should act on this and stop dreaming. If you are gathering books to share with your library group as a way to explore the 2026 Book Week slogan - Symphony of Stories - make sure you add this book to your collection. It will be a perfect one to share with your younger students and then I would find some beautiful piano music to share as a way to think about the music that Noah hears, loves and then performs. You could also perhaps share some a short extract or two from the recent ABC and BBC television programs about playing pianos in public spaces.

Make sure you stop and notice the end papers - it's the handmade piano keyboard made by Noah. I found that image very poignant.

Here is some music for piano that I love that you might use with this book. Just play snippets to give your library group a soundscape to enjoy with this story:

Clair de Lune – Claude Debussy (video)

Gymnopédie No. 1 – Erik Satie (video)

Chopin – Nocturne in E flat major (Op. 9, No. 2) (video)

There are lots more you could share here.

Rachel Ip is an award-winning picture book author and author ambassador for Bring Me a Book Hong Kong, the leading family literacy charity in Hong Kong. Rachel was born in the UK and also lived in France and Belgium before moving to Hong Kong 15 years ago. The Forgettery won the 2022 English Association Picture Book Awards and The Last Garden was longlisted for the 2021 Klaus Flugge Prize and won the Crystal Kite Award for Middle East, India, and Asia.

The Forgettery

Natelle Quek is a Malaysian-born illustrator who grew up in New Zealand and now lives in leafy Southeast England with her husband, an apathetic cat, and a loud-snoring dog. Natelle currently focuses on children's illustration, in particular picture books, young fiction, and non-fiction. She loves to use bold colours and cinematic perspectives to draw audiences into her worlds. Here is her Instagram account.

I am Nefertiti

I am keen to see this book too

The Pied Piper of Hamelin

Image source: Bedtime stories

Thinking about music in stories and the 2026 CBCA (Children's Book Council of Australia) slogan which is Symphony of Stories led me to think about this classic story The Pied Piper of Hamelin.

The Legend in Brief: According to the legend, Hamelin was plagued by rats and hired a travelling piper to rid the town of the infestation. Playing a strange, compelling tune, he drew the rats from houses and streets and led them out of the town, where they were drowned in the river. When the work was done, the piper returned to claim his payment. The town refused. Whether from greed, distrust, or disbelief in the power of his music, the agreed reward was withheld. In response, the piper played again—this time a different melody. Children followed him as the rats had done before, leaving the town in a silent procession. They were never seen again.

The tale has been retold by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, the Brothers Grimm, and Robert Browning. Hamelin is a real town in Germany and visitors there can find all sorts of things relating to this story including street performers dressed as the piper and even a bakery with 'rat' cookies. Background reading for teachers - StorytellingDB.

Here is an extract from the Robert Browning poem:

Once more he stept into the street;
   And to his lips again
Laid his long pipe of smooth straight cane;
   And ere he blew three notes (such sweet
Soft notes as yet musician's cunning
   Never gave th'enraptured air)
There was a rustling, that seem'd like a bustling
Of merry crowds justling at pitching and hustling,
Small feet were pattering, wooden shoes clattering,
Little hands clapping, and little tongues chattering,
And, like fowls in a farm-yard when barley is scattering,
Out came the children running.
All the little boys and girls,
With rosy cheeks and flaxen curls,
And sparkling eyes and teeth like pearls,
Tripping and skipping, ran merrily after
The wonderful music with shouting and laughter.

Take a look at this post from Kinderbookswitheverything. In my search for versions of The Pied Piper I was surprised to discover how many 'reading schemes' used this story to create a simple easy 'reader' for young children - this is surprising because this famous story has such a sad, perhaps even disturbing and certainly unresolved ending. 

Your library is sure to have one or two versions of this famous story that you could share:

This version has 112 pages

Read more about Michael Morpurgo and Emma Chichester Clark

Meanwhile this version has 32 pages

This Australian picture book has minimal text and haunting illustrations

This one has fabulous illustrations by Jane Ray - 

A wordless version from a reading program.

Illustration by Jane Ray

This is a simple version for young children with only 24 pages

Lift-the-flap from Child's Play

The author says: My revision replaces the original’s cruelty and revenge with respect, 

friendship, and equality.

This book is from 1994 and is an illustrated version of the Robert Browning poem

Frequently Asked questions (from History Medieval):

1) What is the Pied Piper of Hamelin?

It’s a medieval legend from Hamelin (Hameln), Lower Saxony, about a pipe-playing stranger who leads away the town’s children after a dispute over payment (rats are a later add-on in many versions).

2) What is the earliest historical record of the story?

The earliest mentions are associated with local memory (often linked to a now-lost stained-glass window in Hamelin’s church, described in later accounts), while the earliest commonly cited written record is a Hamelin town entry dated 1384 noting that “it is 100 years since our children left.”

3) Did the Black Death cause the Pied Piper story?

It’s a popular modern interpretation (rats → plague symbolism), but it’s historically shaky because the Black Death’s major wave reached Europe in the mid-14th century, well after the legend’s anchor date of 1284.

4) Where did the children supposedly go?

Later tellings vary: some say they vanished into a hillside or cave; others suggest they were led away “east”. Modern historical theories have proposed organised migration/colonisation, accident, conflict, or other local catastrophe—but none is proven.

5) Is it true that music and dancing are banned on Bungelosenstrasse?

Bungelosenstrasse is widely described as the “street without drums”, traditionally linked to where the children were last seen, and many modern accounts repeat that music/dancing are avoided there.

6) When did the story become famous outside Germany?

It spread widely through later literary retellings—most famously Robert Browning’s poem “The Pied Piper of Hamelin”, first published in 1842, which helped fix the story in the English-speaking imagination.

Symphony of Stories ABC Classic 100 Greatest of all Time

Here is a fantastic opportunity to link books with classical music - the ABC Classic 100 Greatest of all Time included all of these (and wait until you scroll down and see Number 2 - YES!:

Bluey Season 2 – Episode 26