There's a Bear In There...and a Dragon!

A writer's life is the sum of many things, usually words. Author engagements and presentations fill the gaps in our solitary days, often in the most unexpected and sunny ways. This month I had the good fortune of spending time in not one but two centres of learning where the educators were powerful advocates for kids' lit and their students were heavenly, both reminding me why I do what I do and how much I love doing it. Plus, there were bears and dragons!

Photo courtesy of Beth Peterson Durack SS Principal

Tuesday 5 June

I visited the Carey Lane ELC annexed to St Hilda's School in Southport, QLD.

Sharing some 'beary' beautiful book love
I was invited to help launch their inspired educational reading program, BEAR - Books, Engagement and Reading. It was a sparkling morning full of reading, books and wee furry friends looking for new homes and finding them. The premise of this program being that each pre-school child is entrusted with his or her own story bear. To keep their little bear buddies happy, they are encouraged to share their stories, reading time and favourite books with them, thus encouraging sound reading practises in a friendly, non-pressured way.

I had a glorious time reading to these kindy kids and handing out teddies to them. It should be noted, that after books, my favourite toy on the planet is a teddy bear so they could not have picked a better bear for the job

Friday 15 June

Durack State School - Home of the Dragons! visit.

As a Books in Homes Australia Volunteer Role Model , I get to visit schools, often regional ones, to spread book cheer. Children in these outlying schools may have less access to reading material than their city counterparts for one reason or another making the consumption of good stories more challenging for them.
Durack SS Students delving into their new books
With the coordination of Books in Homes and their dedicated volunteers, and the help of their fantastic sponsors (Ausenco in this case) students are provided with bulging book bags encouraging them to 'read to succeed'. I had an absolute ball sharing my love of reading and my books with them, but perhaps the most rewarding part was the look on their faces after diving head-first into their book bags and making some wonderful discoveries Books are treasures, treasures that enrich life. 


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