Review: Pookie Aleera is not my Boyfriend

In a country town, the students of 6A share their stories. There is the usual mix of children – outgoing, shy, sporty, academic, sad, silly and thoughtful and each has a story to tell about what they are thinking and feeling as they go through their day.

A mixture of humour and thoughtful reflection, Pookie Aleera is not my Boyfriend demonstrates the value of friendship and the power of a well-baked ANZAC biscuit.

Event: Canberra Readers’ Festival 2012

Canberra Readers’ Festival 2012

For the love of reading…

Kate Grenville - Frank Moorhouse - Anita Heiss - Hazel Edwards

Kel Robertson - Melina Marchetta

The inaugural Canberra Readers Festival will be a perfect day out for the many Canberrans and Australians who love to read, for aspiring authors, and most especially, for the many passionate people who are members of book clubs in our community.

Celebrate the National Year of Reading this Spring with this special event to inspire and entertain, and to get people excited about books and the power of reading.

Hear from notable Australian authors and discuss and share your views with authors and with the community.

Early bird day passes (for all sessions) start at $32 ($25 concession)

Individual session tickets also available

More information: www.library.act.gov.au

Bookings:  6275 2700 or visit www.canberratheatrecentre.com.au

Review: Maisy Makes Gingerbread

When my son was much smaller than he today - now 14 years old - he loved going to our local bakery to buy a gingerbread man. So the story Maisy makes gingerbread quickly became one of his favourites. This story would have him planning and begging me for us to bake gingerbread at home.

Review: The Owl and the Pussycat and Other Nonsense Verse

The Owl and the Pussycat went to sea
In a beautiful pea-green boat…

So begins one of my favourite poems. How could anyone resist this tale of romance and adventure and a wedding feast consumed with a runcible spoon?  Originally written in 1867 as a get-well treat for the 3-year-old daughter of a friend, I’m sure Lear never imagined his poem would still be easily recognisable almost 150 years later.

This gorgeous edition of Lear’s classic The Owl and the Pussycat and Other Nonsense Rhymes has been released to celebrate the bicentenary of Lear’s birth. Including a brief biography of Edward Lear and illustrations by talented Australian illustrator Robert Ingpen, the volume has appeal as a keepsake as well as a wonderful way to introduce children to the delights of nonsense verse.

12 Curly Questions with author Myke Bartlett

1. Tell us something hardly anyone knows about you. 
My family were Hungarian nobility so, if you believe my mother, I’m technically a lord. I think I used to try to impress girls with that when I was much, much younger.

2. What is your nickname? 
More than a few people have called me Lord Myke. No, I don’t know. Do people really have nicknames? If I have one, nobody’s ever told me. A friend calls me Professor, because I’m the sort of person who might wear a jacket with leather elbow patches.

The Reading Hour Photo Challenge

What are the people in these photos doing? They are changing the very composition of their brains - their understanding, their comprehension, their minds... Reading is the essence of life in a modern world. It is life-changing and life-enhancing in ways beyond the scope of words themselves.

In celebration of the National Year of Reading, and most particularly, The Reading Hour, we are thrilled to showcase the mass of photographs we received (peppered with some famous people) for our facebook page Reading Challenge, sent in during the lead up to this fabulous initiative.

We hope this showcase touches your heart as much as it does ours - and be sure to scroll all the way down to the bottom of the page to see the WINNERS of our Reading Photo Challenge!

We are thrilled to announce four winners - congratulations to Dimity Powell for posting the most photos! You win $100 worth of books! 

Thank you to everyone who sent in photos - there were some AMAZING ones and we so enjoyed them all. It was hard to choose! but congrats to the following people for posting our favourite photos:

 

Jodie McAllister

Nabeela Wahid

Jo Staker

You each win a copy of Tania McCartney's Riley and the Grumpy Wombat!

                                                                            
Happy reading, everyone!