National Simultaneous Reading Day

National Simultaneous Storytime is an important annual campaign that encourages young children to read and enjoy books. Every year a picture book, written and illustrated by an Australian author and illustrator, is read simultaneously in libraries, pre-schools, childcare centres, family homes, bookshops, and many other places around Australia, New Zealand, and the world at 11 am. 

At Del Monte we conducted our Simultaneous Storytime after recess at 11:30 am. The story was read in each class from prep to Year 2 (Years 3 and 4 were at the Writers Festival) followed by the students completing activities related to the book. Some classes had a guest reader!

About the author

Rebecca Young is an award-winning author from Sydney. Her first book, Button Boy, illustrated by Sue deGennaro, was a Notable Book for the 2012 CBCA Awards and has been published internationally. In 2016, Teacup, illustrated by Matt Ottley, won the Patricia Wrightson Prize for Children’s Literature in the NSW Premier’s Literacy Awards.

About the illustrator

Heath McKenzie is an award-winning children’s book illustrator who has written and illustrated countless books for children. Heath lives in Melbourne with his wife, two kids, a dog, and a fish that he considers more of a lodger than a family member.

Joanne Giannini
Head of Primary P-4