Jaidyn Kennedy
Saint Mary of the Cross Primary School embraced book week with a series of celebrations.
The theme for this year’s book week was ‘Reading is magic.’
Local author Rita Bordin made a special appearance on Tuesday, reading to preps and year 1s.
Rita’s journey to becoming a children’s author was an interesting one, coming about from humorous Christmas letters.
“Statements from friends who found my Christmas letter funny and something to look forward to, they suggested I should consider writing books. A thought I had been too afraid to follow or simply seemed far too far fetched to entertain, but as the years went by and the suggestions kept coming I thought why not,” she said.
Along with her already published and expected titles, Rita has eight more stories waiting to be edited, illustrated, formatted and then published.
The week concluded with Friday’s book week parade that saw the students dress up as their favourite book characters.
All the students and families channelled their creativity to produce a day that saw pirates, Snow White, Jack and the beanstalk, Harry Potter, Thing 1 and 2, Little Red Riding Hood, Pig the Pig, Glenda from Wizard of Oz, Alice in Wonderland, Where’s Wally, The Gruffalo and Taylor Swift showcase their stuff.
Students then engaged in activities such as presenting their favourite book from home, writing their own magical stories and various crafts around the ‘Reading is Magic’ Book week theme.
Deputy principal Vivian Lau praised the community’s creativity.
“Our staff, parents and students were innovative with their costume designs and showcased their love of books and their characters,” she said.
Literacy leader Sally Haisman spoke to the importance of literature.
“Watching the students arrive in their costumes, clutching their favourite books, is a powerful reminder of how essential literature is to all of us.”
Rita’s Moppet’s Big Adventure: A Dog’s Tale of Bravery and Friendship can be found on Amazon.
