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The Canberra Times
The Canberra Times
National
Megan Doherty

This Book Week sparked so much joy. And some of these costumes were off the chart

The costumes were certainly out of the ordinary, but schools enjoyed a joyous dose of normality this week when they celebrated Book Week. Not online. Not at home. But in real life.

Colourful Book Week parades took place across playgrounds, basketball courts and halls throughout the ACT, as parents watched on and enjoyed all the creativity and genuine excitement the event inspired.

The students dressed as their favourite character from a book, showed incredible ingenuity - with a parent behind the scenes no doubt exhausted to have survived another Book Week.

The Wizard of Oz comes to life at the St Monica's Book Week parade in Evatt. Picture by Karleen Minney

At St Monica's Primary School in Evatt, there was a host of activities during Book Week, including author visits, the launch of a Street Library and even the involvement of some students in shadow judging for the Children's Book Council of Australia Book of the Year awards.

The book council is the body that stages Book Week, something it's been doing since 1945.

This year's theme was "Dreaming with eyes open...."

Kitty from Majura Primary as the Queen of Hearts. Picture supplied

St Monica's school librarian Veronica Melville said the return of the traditional Book Week parade in the playground on Thursday morning had been "wonderful".

"Because it is 2019 since the last time we were actually able to share this celebration with parents. Last year, the children got to share it within their class on Teams. Which, really, yes, they were dressed up but we didn't really do it," she said.

Ruby, Kennedy and Milla Kelly from Cobargo Public.

"So, I think, there was that extra joy of being able to really come together and do that celebration. We're really a community celebrating this again because we have missed being able to do that."

Ms Melville said Book Week brought the school community together.

"It very much gets the families involved because they are working together on those costumes. We talk very much about that recycling, upcycling for the costumes and really being imaginative," she said.

Kobe at St Monica's Primary School in Evatt got creative with Green Eggs and Ham. Picture by Karleen Minney
Emma, Mel and Carmel at St Monica's Primary School in Evatt went as Mrs and Mr Twit and Gangsta Granny respectively. Picture by Karleen Minney
Charlotte, Juliana, Rhys, Jacob and Billy looked great in the Book Week parade at St Monica's Primary School in Evatt. Picture by Karleen Minney
Charlotte, Eva and Annelise enjoy the parade at St Monica's Primary School in Evatt. Picture by Karleen Minney
St Monica's Primary teachers Helen, Clare and Haley had a Folk of the Faraway Tree theme for the Book Week parade. Picture by Karleen Minney
Caleb, Leo, Ethan, Joel, Flynn, Ashlee and Liam showed the mix of costumes at St Monica's Primary School at Evatt. Picture by Karleen Minney
Eden dressed up as Thelma the Unicorn. Picture by Karleen Minney
Hands up who had fun at the Book Week parade at St Monica's? Adele did! Picture by Karleen Minney
The Wizard of Oz was brought to life by these students at St Monica's Primary School in Evatt. Picture by Karleen Minney
Teachers at St Anthony's Parish Primary School in Wanniassa were inspired by the Wizard of Oz (l-r) Angie Kiesiel, Laura Stankovic, Heather Naylor, Amanda Winne, and Bernadette Ephraums with Willow the Dog as Toto. Picture by Megan Doherty
As part of Book Week celebrations, visiting author Toula Papadam reads to St Anthony's Parish Primary School students Keturah Crowther, Samuel Reyes, Aurora Stankovic, Ari Catchpole, Jack Welsh, and Mia Veljanovski on Monday. Picture by Sitthixay Ditthavong

In a world dominated by devices, this week honoured that connection between the reader and the page.

"For St Monica's, it really is a celebration of their love of reading, their love of good quality books and literature" Ms Melville said.

"We particularly focus around those short-listed books at this time of the year that the Children's Book Council has short-listed.

Elsa from Majura Primary made her own costume, as a book.

"So it really is just time to enjoy our reading and the wonderful books we have here in our library."

Other schools celebrated in their own style as well.

And it wasn't just the big kids who got involved.

Canberra author Samantha Tidy was thrilled when she was sent a photograph of a little fan dressed as the character in her book, Our Bush Capital.

This little one dressed as the character from Our Bush Capital.

"It's the most magical compliment an author or illustrator can receive," she said.

"Something from your own imagination has become solid in someone else's reality - it's a lovely surreal feeling."

ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr also read Our Bush Capital online as part of Book Week celebrations.

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