LITTLE readers came together at the Bendigo Library last week for National Simultaneous Storytime, an initiative by the Australian Library and Information Association.<\/p>\n
The trans-Tasman events saw over one million children at more than 8000 locations read Philip Bunting\u2019s Give Me Some Space<\/em> from 11am, and coordinator of children\u2019s activities at the library Vivien Newton said the day teaches an important lesson to children in a fun way.<\/p>\n \u201cEarly years literacy is the most vital thing to set them up for success in life,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cThe more that you can make it a habit when they\u2019re little, the more chance they\u2019ve got of being able to branch out and do anything, survive when they get to school, end up employed and able to function in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n While Ms Newton said last year\u2019s NSS events went \u201cworldwide\u201d online in lockdown, this year they travelled even further as NASA astronaut Shannon Walker read the space themed picture book to children from the International Space Station.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat we\u2019re showing to the kids is that reading is not just in a library or it\u2019s not just come and take a book, it\u2019s important to everyone around you,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s an opportunity for a bit of fun.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a chance to just showcase the other things that are around literacy and to pull in community members as readers to show that they believe it\u2019s important as an adult who is outside the library, so it\u2019s not just library based.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" LITTLE readers came together at the Bendigo Library last week for National Simultaneous Storytime, an initiative by the Australian Library and Information Association. The trans-Tasman events saw over one million children at more than 8000 locations read Philip Bunting\u2019s Give Me Some Space from 11am, and coordinator of children\u2019s activities at the library Vivien Newton […]<\/p>\n