This year's Children's Book Council of Australia (CBCA) Children's Book Week wound up on Friday 22 August, having run from 16 August.

This year's Book Week, which ran under the theme ‘Fuel Your Mind', saw the CBCA providing inspiration and support to schools and libraries around the country to help celebrate books and Australian authors and illustrators.

The Victorian chapter of the CBCA reported many exciting Book Week events including Tony Bones' musical play of The Night Garden (Elise Hurst, ABC Books). Tony Bones every year transforms one of the Book of the Year shortlisted books into a musical theatre production.

The production was part of the Book Fair held at the Hawthorne Campus of Melbourne University on Sunday August 17 from 10am to 4pm. The day also included book-related face painting, lucky dips, a silent auction, helium balloons with attached books and free crafts for kids. Wally (of Where's Wally?) was also wandering around on the day to be spotted.

Showbags were sold for just ten dollars which had an array of books worth $50-$100 each in them. These were kindly donated by children's publishers such as Walker and Scholastic and the proceeds go towards the CBCA Christmas Book Appeal, which enables children in institutional care in Victoria to have access to books. CBCA Treasurer Gerry Flynn estimated that there were between 2000 and 4000 people at the fair throughout the day.

On a school and library level, CBCA Vice President Michelle Prawer showed how it can be done with the example of her school Liebler Yavneh College in Victoria. The school had 'writer in residence' Jack Heath to talk to Years 7-10 about writing, and to attend a breakfast and launch of his book Money Run (Pan). It was launched by Bronwen Bennett, the National President of the CBCA. Throughout the week there were book quizzes, book cakes, DVDs showing author interviews playing in the library, and ‘guess the number of pages in the pile' competitions. Students from the school also accompanied author John Heffernan to the pre-week CBCA Book of the Year Awards ceremony held at BMW Edge theatre in Federation Square. Events were held during the week for parents and teachers as well as students, focussing on recommended reading and the link between reading and academic achievement. Prawer said she introduced the teacher session by reading the poem from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory ‘Throw Away Your TV'. Talks to parents and teachers were given by Susan LaMarca.

Prawer said regional schools and libraries not in such close proximity to events such as CBCA Award ceremonies or the MWF could still offer fun activities throughout the week such as book quizzes, cakes, balloons, and DVDs and appearances by authors. All state chapters of the CBCA are contactable on their website for advice and ideas. Visit www.cbca.org.au. 

The theme for the 2009 Children's Book Week will be ‘Book Safari'.

http://www.booksellerandpublisher.com.au/articles/2008/08/09322/

This article from Thorpe Bowker's Weekly Book Newsletter and Media Extra is reproduced by kind permission of Thorpe-Bowker, a division of R R Bowker LLC. © Copyright 2008, Thorpe-Bowker

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