21st Century
Learning Space
Library News
NATIONAL SIMULTANEOUS STORYTIME
Last Wednesday was National Simultaneous Storytime. All over Australia there were more than 2 million children reading the same book. This year’s title was The Speedy Sloth written by Rebecca Young and illustrated by Heath McKenzie. Spike trains for seven days to go into the big race against the other animals. Of course she comes last. Sloths are slow movers! “Snail overtook her – but that guy was a beast! As fast as a race car, or pushbike, at least.” However, the message in this picture book is a good one – always do your best! Coming last doesn’t mean you failed, it just means that you did your best and will keep improving.
Our Foundation, Year 1 and Year 2 students gathered together in the 21st Century Learning Space to enjoy this story. Here is what they had to say . . .
“I liked how they had a race but Spike wasn’t going very fast.” Ryleigh 1B
“I liked it when Spike lost the race but was still happy.” Robin 1C
“I liked it when she was running slowly but still made it back in time for dinner!” Amelia 1B
“The story was so good because it was about courage and trying your best which makes you a winner.” Titan 2A
“I like the sloth because he tried his best.” Ananya 2A
“The other animals were funny but the sloth was the best. Even the snail beat him.” Chris OA
TOP 100 CHILDREN’S BOOKS
I’ve always been fascinated by lists of the Top 10, Top 100 of a given topic. Last week the BBC list of the Top 100 Children’s Books was published. BBC Culture polled 177 children’s book experts from 56 countries in order to find the greatest children’s books ever. It’s very interesting for me to see what is included and what is not. Number one on the list is Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak (1963). Followed by Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll (1865), Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren (1945), The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery (1943) and The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien (1937)! Note the top 5 were written between 1865 and 1963! They are still in print and are still popular with children today which is remarkable.
As I look down the list I was hoping the find some Australian content – I could only find three: The Arrival by Shaun Tan came in at number 16, Rules of Summer also by Shaun Tan (Australian author and illustrator) number 42, and Mary Poppins by P.L. Travers (Australian author) at number 5. The BBC states that “the list is not designed as a fait accompli, but rather as an inspiration for further discovery and debate… and as a celebration of writing, creativity and the books that have truly shaped us all.”
The list certainly covers a lot from fairy tales, fantasy, adventure, suspense, science fiction and much more. Any discussion on the value of children’s books is encouraged. It will be interesting to see in the future what will make the Top 100 Children’s Books because one thing is for sure these lists are always changing. If you would like to learn more the full list can be found at https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20230522-the-100-greatest-childrens-books-of-all-time.
Happy reading!
THANK YOU
Thank you Kate Hopkins for your recent donation of novels from the Tom Gates series written by Liz Pichon. I am sure our students will enjoy the cartoons and stories in this popular series. Thank you very much.
Jackie Hicks
21st Century Learning Space Manager