Schools across the Central Coast have been getting into the spirit of Book Week with dress-up parades and other activities to celebrate Australian authors and illustrators and the joy of reading.
Book Week is the longest running children’s festival in the country and this year’s theme is Dreaming With Eyes Open which explores how books can take children on a journey into other people’s lives, into other perspectives and new topics, while also teaching and entertaining readers.
At Killarney Vale Public School the library was transformed into the wonderful world of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
Throughout this week librarian Candice Taylor took classes into the magical world of Roald Dahl and enthralled the students with her costume on the theme.
Every day she went to school with something else added to her Willy Wonka costume, such as handpainted shoes with waffles and icecreams or fingernails painted with the Willy Wonka insignia.
“Our library is just out of the world this year,” said Principal Jeanette Dillon.
“We haven’t done it for two years (because of Covid) and our librarian has gone to absolutely unbelievable levels, it’s amazing,” she said.
“Candice has spent the past two years organising this and put in a lot of effort researching the theme and encouraging the kids to talk about books.
“It was wonderful to have the library open again so families and the wider community could come to see the display and enjoy the Book Week parade,” Dillon said.
Sue Murray