SWAN Hill Christian School celebrated the magic of fiction at their Book Week dress-up day.
Teacher Mrs McCann, dressed as the wardrobe from The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, spoke to the students about the importance of reading, in line with this year’s “reading is magic” theme.
“Our libraries give us so many opportunities to imagine and explore,” she said.
All the students pulled inspiration from the pages of their favourite books, from the classics of The Tale of Peter Rabbit to the contemporary Annie the Apple Pie Fairy.
Staff met the students’ enthusiasm, appearing as Moses from the Book of Moses, Matilda from Roald Dahl’s classic, and Shahrazad, the heroine of Arabian Nights.
Annual Book Week celebrations have been held since the creation of the Children’s Book Council of Australia in 1945, formed to encourage Australia’s children to love reading and promote literacy.
Iterations of Book Week were seen around the globe before Australia’s adoption of the celebration, taking place in England, Russia, India, China, Burma and the US.
Awards for outstanding contributions to Australian children’s literature have been a part of the celebration since 1946 and now recognise books for both junior and older readers as well as a category for outstanding illustration.
Book Week is now a nationwide sensation, with parades of children dressed up as their literary heroes in schools around Australia.
Swan Hill Christian School held other events throughout the week, including a family reading night and a visit from the Swan Hill Library Outreach Van, business manager Kylie Loneragan told The Guardian.
“Students, families and friends had a fantastic evening enjoying community and good stories,” she said.
The 2025 Book Week theme will be announced Monday.
