15 Aug Book Week: 2024 theme is Reading is Magic

The annual Book Week is with us once again, and although many parents and carers might let out a collective groan, Book Week helps us to focus on books and reading and why it’s so important for our kids to learn to read and keep the habit going as they grow.

Nurture young minds with the magic of reading during Book Week (17th – 23rd August) is also when the CBCA Book of the Year Awards Winners and Honours (16th August) will be announced.

Reading is a lifetime pleasure, so here are some resources to help with this year’s Reading is Magic theme.

• Adelaide writer Mike Lucas owns and helps to run a bookshop, Shakespeare’s, in Blackwood, South Australia. In 2017 and 2022, he was one of the main organisers of the Adelaide Festival of Children’s Books. Each year, he writes a poem with the CBCA Book Week theme. You can read it here. Reading is Magic
• You can download a copy of the Notable Australian Children’s Books 2024. (CBCA-Notables-Critiques) It’s a useful guide for all “story guides” so you can make informed choices about the very best stories to share with young readers.
• Surely, everyone will be thinking of Harry Potter with the theme of magic, but why not imagine some other great ideas for a costume with a general or magical book theme?
• The National Centre for Australian Children’s Literature Inc. (NCACL) has a comprehensive collection of resources about Australian authors, illustrators, publishers and their creative works. This might provide a resource about individual authors/illustrators.

Main Image: Jess Raclyeft is the artist of the 2024 images for Book Week; © The Children’s Book Council of Australia.

You can also see these articles about books and reading:

• How Australian Authors Create Magic on a Page
• The Importance of Reading for 10 Minutes a Day
• or search for any Childmags Book Reviews here