Book Week Magic:
Book Week is all about celebrating the magic of reading.
It’s a wonderful chance to enhance your child’s love of reading and encourage them to try new genres and authors, including this year's CBCA nominated titles.
So here at Yarra Plenty Regional Libraries we want to help you find all the fun and minimise the stress – we promise there’ll be no costume nightmares on our watch!
Tip 1 – Revisit the classics:
The CBCA awards began in 1946 so with almost 80 years of nominations there’s lots of fantastic books to revisit like Where is the Green Sheep?, The Journey Home and Edward the Emu.
Many CBCA nominated titles are also available to enjoy digitally through Story Box Library which you can access for free with your YPRL membership. Book Week is also a great chance to talk with kids about the books you loved as a kid and to re-read classics like Where the Wild Things Are or The Hobbit.
Tip 2 – Keep costumes simple:
Book Week doesn’t have to mean over-the-top costumes. You can dress up as ANY character so there are literally unlimited possibilities. Think about what’s already in the closet and match a character to that.
Got a white T-shirt and coloured pencils? Introduce your kids to Aaron Slater, Illustrator! Keep the pencils but swap the white t-shirt for black with some stripy socks and they can be Peanut Jones and the illustrated city. If your kid loves lots of bling and ruffles, then Fancy Nancy is a great option. Do they have overalls and some toy tools? Annie from Runt is the choice for you!
Keep costumes simple:
Can’t think how to utilise what you’ve already got? Our staff love to talk books – come see us in branch and we can brainstorm characters with you.
A simple DIY prop can also make for a super easy costume. Harry, Ron and Hermione spend most of The Deathly Hallows wandering around in Muggle clothes so print a big oval with an “S” to make a Horcrux hunter. Or pair an orange T-shirt with an oversized cut-out mustache and your eco-warrior is The Lorax, protector of trees. You might even use our Maker Space to 3D print or laser cut props.
Tip 3 – Think outside the costume parade
Book Week doesn’t just have to be about costumes. Think about ways to combine the books you love with your favourite hobbies. Or to use your child’s interests to explore new genres and authors.
Love to bake? Then why not challenge your family and friends to a Book Week bake off? Yellow Brick Road lemon cake for The Wizard of Oz, jam tarts for a Mad Hatters tea party or James and the Giant Peach cupcakes. If you need some book-inspired recipes check out titles like An unofficial cookbook for fans of Willy Wonka or Disney villains cookbook.
Think outside the costume parade
Love to craft? Check out our collection for fantastic book-inspired titles like Knitting with Disney or Star Wars knitting the galaxy.
Got an artistic streak? Try your hand at Pokémon how to draw adventures or How to draw manga.
Tip 4 – Have fun!
Remember, reading is magic, so we hope you have a magical Book Week enjoying wonderful bookish adventures.
If you’re looking for something special to celebrate, check out our free events celebrating Book Week including Junior Library Lovers at Ivanhoe and a special Book Week Family Storytime at Eltham Library.
Click here to browse the titles mentioned in this blog or to browse CBCA nominated titles.
Online Resources for Kids!
Comics Plus for Kids
Read comics, manga, and graphic novels on Comics Plus.
LOTE Online for Kids
Learn a language and connect with books through thousands of audio-picture books in 50+ languages, together with English translations.
Scratch
Engaging coding program for 8 to 16-year-olds.
StoryBox Library
Online 'reading room' for reading and listening to stories.
