Reading Revolution read-a-thon & expert panel session

Picture Books: Essential for learning through images and words, enhancing comprehension and vocabulary. Children often see the image before the words. 

Bedtime Reading: Encouraged as a routine to foster a love for books and improve sleep habits. 

Repetition: Allowing children to read the same book repeatedly helps deepen their love for reading. As they grow older, they'll find favourite books and read them repeatedly, gaining new insights each time. 

Digital Literacy: Emphasised the growing importance of literacy in navigating digital technology. 

Library Resources: South Australia's interconnected library system offers 8 million resources (not including their digital catalogues), promoting accessibility and literacy growth. Libraries also provide kits with books, toys, and props to enhance reading and childhood development, eliminating the need for expensive purchases. 

Interactive Reading: Using props, toys, and sound-enhanced books like Mandy Foot's "The Hip Hop Barn" makes reading engaging and interactive. Comparing books to their movie adaptations and sharing personal anecdotes while reading also enhances literacy skills and storytelling appreciation. 

Inclusion and Diversity: Andrew Joyner's “Roar for Reading” advocates for diverse stories reflecting various identities and is in support of American author Beth Ferry's efforts against book banning in the US, where currently 4000 books have been banned. In Australia roughly one book a week is submitted to the censorship board to be banned but as, yet none have succeeded. 

Imagination Expansion: "The Storyteller's Handbook" by Elise Hurst was recommended as a tool for expanding imagination. The book is wordless inviting readers to produce their own story to go along with the illustrations. The idea of cutting out pictures and sticking them to a page that then your child is invited to write the story for is also a great activity.  

Illustration Skills: "Animation” by Preston Blair provides opportunities for aspiring illustrators to develop skills through copying images. This book was gifted to both Mandy Foot and Andrew Joyner as children, and they spent hours copying the illustrations thus teaching themselves to draw. This book is now out of print – however Preston Blair has worked on numerous other such books including his 1994 book “Cartoon Animation.” 

Reading Strategies: Techniques such as "Think Aloud," "Turn & Talk," and "Act It Out" were recommended to engage children actively in reading. 

Community Engagement: Encouraged attending library events and using resources like toy libraries to make reading a shared family activity. 

Incorporating Reading into Daily Life: Suggested reading in small chunks, carrying books in bags or cars, using books to distract kids or while waiting for appointments or siblings to finish sporting games, and using everyday signs on streets or in shops as great reading opportunities.

The strategies and resources mentioned above are equally applicable to our older children in upper primary and secondary school. The main difference is that they can now enjoy books without pictures. This presents a wonderful opportunity for the adults in their lives to share novels together. 

Consider selecting a novel such as Tania Ingram’s “The Other Shadow” and taking turns reading a chapter aloud to each other before bed. This practice not only enhances the joy of reading but also nurtures a love for literacy, setting your child on a path toward a bright and inspired future. 

The expert panel will feature renowned authors and literacy specialists, including:

Tania Ingram, Children's Book Author: "Literacy is a doorway to effective communication, empathy, wonder, and possibility. Reading with your child is the greatest gift you can give them."

Mandy Foot, Children's Book Author and Illustrator: "Children learn to read pictures well before they learn to read their first word. Picture books play an enormous role in opening up a young child's world and introducing them to literacy."

Andrew Joyner, Children's Book Author and Illustrator: "Get your child a library card and visit your local library regularly. There's a whole world of reading in a library... and it's all completely free!"

Bec Hughes, Senior Executive at Raising Literacy Australia: "Reading to babies and young children exposes them to varied and rich language that boosts their brain development and prepares them for future learning."

Karyn Stephens and Caitlin Hadrill, Youth and Children's Coordinators, Unley Libraries: Advocating for libraries as the secret weapon in this reading revolution.