Around 65,000 prep students across Victoria will receive a bag of five free books as part of a student literacy initiative under Jacinta Allan’s Labor Government.
This program aims to foster a love of reading and support the development of children’s literacy skills from their very first year at school. A panel of experts have carefully selected the books for their engaging stories, and appeal to young students.
The book packs will include:
- Chooks in Dinner Suits – written by Diane Jackson Hill and illustrated by Craig Smith
- The Concrete Garden – written and illustrated by Bob Graham
- Frank’s Red Hat – written and illustrated by Sean E Avery
- The Bin Monster – written by Annabelle Hale
- Sharing – written by Aunty Fay Muir and Sue Lawson and illustrated by Leanne Mulgo Watson
To ensure accessibility, the books will also come in a braille format with tactile illustrations.
The Centre welcomes this program, with CEO Deb Tsorbaris saying: “This is a great initiative, effectively democratising reading, by giving every child coming into prep next year an opportunity to learn the fun and learning that can come from reading, including access to a First Nations book”.
This builds on the 2019 Books in Bags scheme, which has gifted more than 2.2 million books to young children across Victoria.
By providing high-quality and accessible resources for literacy development, this program is helping to create an equal platform for all young children to support their education.