Book Week for St Annes Catholic College (SACC) culminated in a colourful display as the children from the primary school showcased their costumes to the Temora main street last Wednesday 26 August. Although it was a cloudy and dull day the excitement of the children and the vibrant costumes bought a sense of joy and surprise to those residents that were out and about and witnessed the impromptu parade. There were characters from many popular books on display along with a great deal of excitement from the children as they completed a circuit of Hoskins Street. Passers by were thrilled to see the surprise parade of fictional characters walk and skip along the throughfare. Principal of SACC, Louise Grant said that Book Week has been a great way for children to be introduced to the wonderful world of reading and books and it was a whole week of celebrations including lots of in-class activities that immersed the children in the books and the characters. “This year the students were encouraged to choose their favourite book character, and the emphasis was really on knowing the book and knowing the character and being able to stand up and talk about the character in the book,” Ms Grant said. “We also had a wonderful event on Grandparents' Day with hundreds of people and a beautiful, sunny winter's day where we had a special barbecue lunch in the playground, and then the grandparents were invited to purchase a book if they wanted to. “There was an incredible book fair, which was very, very popular, especially for Grandparents' Day. “There are also activities where the kids have the opportunity to recommend books to each other. “We are always searching for that book that will turn kids into readers.” Ms Grant said that the costumes were very well done and represented a lot of work on the part of both the parents and children “It was such a great day, and then we thought, well, why not bring the joy that we were experiencing at school down to the people of the town.” Book Week ran from 22 to 28 August and is an initiative of the Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA), which has celebrated children’s literature since 1945. In conjunction with the celebrations the Book of the Year Awards are announced by the CBCA in six categories spanning from early childhood authors through to teenagers.
