Sunday, October 06, 2013

What's Next...

We have been busy planning our online literary festival for November - lots of guest authors writing about interesting subjects, more book reviews by kids and loads of information about good books to read.  

Also coming up, quite a few great photos of African animals, thanks to Matthew Barnard and Iain Seow.   There's lots to look forward to in the next month or so...

Leopard in tree, South Africa 2013.  Copyright, Iain Seow, 2013


Showcase


If you're in Canberra, Showcase, the second annual children's literature festival, is on from 1 October (yes, it's already started) to 15 November.

You can download the program flyer here.

Children's Week


Around here, every week is children's week but in the week of 19 October it really is Children's Week! 

Children's Week is an annual event, held in the last week of October in Australia, which celebrates the right of children to enjoy childhood.  You can read more about the history of Children's Week here.  Various activities to celebrate Children's Week are being held throughout Australia.   Here's what is happening in the ACT.

Readers of this site might like to check out the online book-related activities involving children at Kids' Book Review from Monday 21 October.

Finally, have a look at this recent article from the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper, about kids around the world, here.  Are Dutch children really the happiest in the world?


World Teachers' Day


Since 1954, World Teachers' Day has been celebrated, in most countries, in the first week of October.  In 2013, the celebrations were held on 5 October.  I

In Australia, the event is held in the last week of October due to school holidays at the start of the month.  

This year, World Teachers' Day is to be held on 25 October - a day to keep in mind if you want to thank your teachers or, if that's not your thing,  maybe just reflect on what they've taught you over the years.  Think about all the books you mightn't have read if your teachers hadn't cared enough to instil a love of reading and good books in you.


2014 Kids' Lit Quiz Australia competition


Last month, Nicole Deans announced the details of the 2014 Australian competition - 4 regional heats and a national final to be held in February and March next year with the wold final, in Cornwall, UK in July.  

You can see Nicole's post here or check out the '2014 Australian Quiz' tab under the Reading for Australia header.  Also, particularly if you're wondering about whether or not to participate in the 2014 Australian competition, have a look at what other people, including kids who've previously participated, have said about the Kids' Lit Quiz, at 'What People Say' also under the header.

It is a great competition - a great day out - and, for schools registering before 30 November, there's also chance to win free entry to the 2015 competition for one of their teams.


Meerkat, South Africa, 2013.  Copyright, Iain Seow, 2013




 

2 comments:

  1. Greetings Reading for Australia!
    Thought it was time to chime in from Canada! First of all, congratulations to the wonderful Team Australia from Canberra Grammar! You were stars, heaps of fun and although some of you fit in our suitcases, that strategy didn't work! Perhaps we'll see you in Cornwall, England in July 2014?!
    Here are the dates for Kids' Lit Quiz Canada events, so far....
    February 3, 2014 Our Lady of Fatima CS hosts heats
    February 4, 2014 Queen Victoria PS hosts heats.
    National Final Wednesday February 5 at Havergal College in Toronto.
    In the meantime school kids here are hunting down books from your part of the world... from Mem Fox to John Marsden, Jackie French Paul Jennings, Emily Rodda, Shaun Tan.... who would you suggest we read over here? I am happy to make suggestions for you too!!

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  2. Hello Kids' Lit Quiz Canada!

    The Aussie contingent all really enjoyed meeting all of you in Durban. The world final was so much fun!

    It looks like February is a busy month for the KLQ Quizmaster: Canada, then South Africa and then the Aussie heats - starting on 18 February. Lots of reading for lots of kids in lots of countries!

    All of the Australian authors you've listed are fabulous - Canadian kids won't go wrong with any of these. They should also check out our online festival, starting on 1 November, which will feature a number of other terrific writers. The program is looking very exciting with 12 confirmed writers so far. There's also the May 2013 program which is still worth checking out - have a look on the right side bar for these guest posts.

    We'd be delighted to discover great Canadian authors too. I'll be in touch about a cultural exchange soon! In the meanwhile, I see that you've got some great resources and links on the Kids' Lit Quiz Canada website. The URL is :

    http://kidslitquiz.ca/Resources_and_Links.html

    Interested readers can simply click onto the link on the top left sidebar of this page to get there.

    PS The link to the Canadian site is under the link to Kids' Lit South Africa which also lists some great children's authors who were guests at the Gala Dinner in Durban. Marj Brown introduced these South African writers to RFA readers in her guest post in June.

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