What activities are planned for the library during Book Week?
We will be celebrating book week with Dress Up Storytimes, attendees are welcome and encouraged to dress up as their favourite book on Tuesday 11am (Tinytots zero – 12 months), Wednesday 10.30am (Families zero – six years) and Fri 9.30am (Toddlers one – three years)
Tell us about some of your favourites on the Children’s Book Council shortlist this year?
A favourite for Sharni and Rose would be Paper Flower Girl by Lamond Margrete and Illustrated by Mateja Jager (in the Picture Book of the Year category) this picture book is so beautifully illustrated and written with words that are gentle and yet powerful, I was very encapsulated by it.
Bower Bird Blues by Aura Parker (in the Picture Book of the Year category) is also a big winner for us, it was the National Simultaneous Storytime selection in 2024 and is a lovely story, close to home too as we do get Bower Birds in the area.
It was also great to see Real Pigeon’s Flap Out by Andrew McDonald, we love a graphic novel here at Healesville Library, so much so that we are having a Comics and Cosplay Extravaganza, so it was great to see the inclusion of a graphic novel shortlisted in the Young Readers category.
What was one of your favourite books when you were a kid?
Rose: Ice Creams for Rosie by Rhonda and David Armitage, I still have my childhood copy at home, though there is a page missing.
If the library could get a few authors to visit, who would you like that to be?
We had to share this question with the team…. Aaron Blabey (author of the Bad Guys Series), Ahn Do (Weirdo and Wolf Girl), Jackie French (Diary of a Wombat) and Bronwyn Bancroft (Coming Home to Country, Colours of Australia)
Are Grug books by Ted Prior still popular?
Rose: Grug is hugely popular! Grug is undeniably an iconic Australian Children’s Book Character, I remember reading Grug when I was a kid, and then to my kids who are all grown up now, and I am still seeing Grug books being borrowed regularly now, so Grug is definitely a multigenerational and enduring character and book series.
Who is your favourite book character and why?
Rose: Oh, this is a hard one! Can I really only pick one? Maybe Tigger from the Winnie the Pooh books. Just because he’s so bouncy and energetic like me.
