Book Week is back!

THE Children’s Book Council of Australia’s annual Book Week kicks off this Saturday, 21 August, with the nationwide celebration of the written word set to continue until next Friday.

Goldfields Libraries are leading this year’s activities in the region, and library services officer Geordie Walker said young readers are keen to take part.

“There’s a definite feeling of enthusiasm this year for Book Week,” he said. “We’re definitely going to do some online story times, we’re going to have some take home craft activities and some drop-in crafts.

“If restrictions allow, we will have a story time or two in the performance space at Bendigo Library. I will definitely be dressing up and encouraging all the kids to dress up as well.”

This year’s theme is Old Worlds, New Worlds, Other Worlds, allowing children to immerse themselves in their favourite fictitious stories.

Mr Walker said encouraging this love for books and reading among children in social settings was particularly important.

“Book Week is one of those events, at least for me, that sticks out as such an important memory as a child from primary school because it allowed that world you had when you were reading books to spill out into socialising with other kids.

“It’s that critically important element between the kids that they’re actually talking about what they’re reading,” he said. “To get them to think on that extra level is really important too.

“If you can get it out of the structured, school environment for those kids that may be a little less enthusiastic about reading… with costume parades and displays, it works great.”

Expect library shelves to be a little barer in the children’s sections during the week as new and avid readers make an extra effort to keep pages turning.

“Lots of kids come in on Book Week and borrow twice as many books as they would normally. They’re in there, enthusiastic, engaged on an extra level in terms of what they’re doing, and it just broadens their horizons a little bit more,” Mr Walker said.

To participate in online story times and keep up to date with in-person events, head to the Goldfields Libraries Facebook page.