Crocodiles, Hats and Book Week Fun!

Mr W. as Croco!

Book Week fever hit far and wide in Australia last week. Facebook was full of kids dressing up in their favourite characters. Obviously a lot of thought has gone into some of the costumes… and I bet there are a lot of worn out parents who helped their kids look so fantastic for Book Week events. Home-made, store bought, thrown-together-at-the-last-minute, or planned-for-months… I salute everyone who got involved!

Mr C. as ‘Fly Guy’ and Mr W. as Croco!

I was excited to receive these photos, sent to me all the way from South Australia. Mr W. dressed up as my favourite crocodile — Croco from my book, There’s a Crocodile on the Golf Course ! I never imagined one of my own characters being brought to life for Book Week! It’s pretty special!

Mr C. is dressed up as Fly Guy from the Fly Guy series by Tedd Arnold, but I personally think he looks suspiciously like one of the midgies from my book too. Either way, your awesome costumes really made my day! (Love Aunty Rach  x)

Here in Alyangula, I am looking forward to Friday morning, when our Book Week parade will be held. Seagrass Early Learning celebrated last week, and I was lucky enough to join in the reading sessions with some of the other parents. I even got to dress up myself, inspired by the picture book I Got This Hat by Jol and Kate Temple. It was fun trudging through the Centre with hats pinned all over me, though it didn’t last long. One by one they fell off… I suspect my costume was a little rushed. At least the kids had fun trying on the hats!

My son was keen for me to come and visit. He chose about ten books for me to read… in the end I managed to read three or four before I was puffed out and it was someone else’s turn. Some of the favourites were Do Not Open This Book by Andy Lee and What do they do with all the Poo from all the Animals at the Zoo? by Anh Do. A bit of a tongue twister, but super funny! Thanks to the Seagrass team for hosting the event. I had a great time!

Australian Reading Hour

Looking forward… Have you heard about the Australian Reading Hour? On Thursday, September 14^th all Australians are encouraged to pick up a book for one hour and read, either by themselves or with their children. I don’t need an excuse to pick up a book for an hour, but in case you’re hesitating, the benefits of reading for children and adults are massive.

To quote the Australian Reading Hour website:

‘In children, it has been shown to help with identity formation, setting them up for success in the future.’ 

‘In adults, it has been shown to reduce stress by 68% more than listening to music, going for a walk, or having a cup of tea.’

For more information on this fantastic initiative or to register for the event, click here to visit the website.

P.S. I will try to remember to post some pics of my son’s book week costume later! He worked hard to make it himself… with just a little help from Mum!