Children’s Book Week begins this Saturday, 22 August, with this year’s theme, “Symphony of Stories,” celebrating how different voices, characters and books come together to tell a story.
For deaf children, books do more than entertain. It’s never too early to start, reading to babies builds shared attention and strengthens the bond between child and caregiver, long before a single word is spoken. Every story read aloud is also a chance to build vocabulary, practise listening and strengthen spoken language. A shared book becomes a place to name, repeat and respond, the small back-and-forth moments that add up over time, building the foundations for a child to listen and communicate with confidence.
To mark the week, we’ve put together a list of five characters your child could dress up as, picked by our clinicians from some of their favourite children’s books.
The Witch from “Room on the Broom” by Julia Donaldson
A witch loses her hat, her bow and her wand off the back of her broomstick, one gust of wind at a time. Luckily, a dog, a bird and a frog track them down and hop aboard for a ride, growing her crew of friends with every stop.
Costume idea: a black dress or cloak, a witches hat, a striped wand and a broomstick to fly around on.
The Green Sheep from “Where Is the Green Sheep?” by Mem Fox
Blue sheep, bath sheep, moon sheep, star sheep, this story rounds up every kind of sheep you can think of before landing on its big question: where is the green sheep? The search is on to track her down.
Costume idea: all green clothing, with green wool or cotton balls added for texture, plus a pair of fluffy sheep ears or a simple headband with two woolly loops.
Noni the Pony from “Noni the Pony” by Alison Lester
Noni lives on a farm near Waratah Bay with her best friends, Dave Dog and Coco the Cat, and looks out for them when they’re scared or lonely.
Costume idea: a brown or orange top and pants, a wavy yarn mane and tail pinned on, and a pony ear headband. A hobby horse on a stick is a fun add-on.
Hairy Maclary from “Hairy Maclary from Donaldson’s Dairy” by Lynley Dodd
Hairy Maclary sets off for a walk through town, picking up a crew of dog friends along the way, until they run into Scarface Claw, the toughest cat around.
Costume idea: all black clothing, a black felt tail, a pair of dog ears and a stick-on nose to finish the look.
A Wombat from “Goodnight, Joeys” by Renee Treml
This bedtime story introduces a different Australian joey on each page, including a wombat, as they all settle in to say goodnight.
Costume idea: brown or grey clothing, a round wombat ear headband, and a stuffed brown pouch or fabric patch sewn on for a joey peeking out.
Want to learn more about Children’s Book Week? Visit: https://cbca.org.au/childrens-book-week/
