Book Week 2012

Book Week is the longest running children’s festival in Australia. The whole of Australia celebrated its 65^th Birthday in 2010. This year Book week will be running from Saturday the 18^th to Friday the 24^th of August. Many schools and public libraries from all over Australia spend this week celebrating books as well as Australian authors and illustrators every year. Teachers and librarians Australia wide develop activities, offer competitions and tell stories that all relate to a theme.

The theme for 2012 is … Champions Read…

Dr Seuss, Beatrix Potter and E.B White are just three of the many influential children books authors of all time. They have delighted both parents and their children for generations.

Dr Seuss’ books have been popular for an extended period of time. It is his crazy rhymes and the creative illustrations that draw the children in and ensures that they enjoy the books. The two most popular out of all of his amazing books are Cat in the Hat and Green Eggs and Ham. The book Cat in the Hat has helped many children learn how to read. There are many characters that you can be from this exciting book. This of course includes Cat in the Hat, Thing 1 and Thing 2, Sally and Conrad.

Beatrix Potter’s Tale of Peter Rabbit is a story which follows Peter as he adventures into Mr McGregor’s garden against his mother’s will. In this time Peter loses his jacket and Mr McGregor uses it for a scarecrow. This then prompts the sequel The Tale of Benjamin Bunny. So you can dress up as Peter Rabbit by wearing some ears as well as a little blue jacket.

E.B White’s Charlotte’s Web is a very popular book that has been made into a cartoon movie as well as a real live one starring Dakota Fanning. This follows the story of Charlotte and her friend pig Wilbur as he journeys to becoming a famous and champion pig. The characters that you can dress up as include Wilbur the pig by wearing a pig set, Charlotte the spider and Fern.

Although these three authors have been on the best-selling lists for generations, it was in the 1990s when the amazing tale of Harry Potter written by none other than J.K. Rowling that stole the hearts of many children and adults. The first book of the series Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone sold over 107 million copies worldwide. There are many characters that you can dress up as but the most popular would be Harry Potter himself, Hermione, Ron, Voldemort and Death Eaters.

The Adventures of Tin Tin is a series of comic books which was created by Belgian artist Remi Geoges who wrote under the name of Herge. This is one of Europe’s most popular comics of the 20^th Century with translations in more than 50 languages. It has just recently been made into a movie. Characters that you can dress as for book week include Tin Tin, Snowy, Captain Haddock, Professor Calculus and Thomson and Thompson.

The Truth About Verity Sparks is a book written by Australian author Susan Green. Verity is a 13 year old orphan working as a milliner in London. But she is no ordinary girl. She has an almost perfect memory and possesses the talent of Teleagtivism. She uses her talents to help solve crimes. It is “an adventure/mystery novel with a dash of the supernatural thrown in”. So you can easily dress up as Verity Sparks.

 Roald Dahl is another one of those authors whose books will live on forever after his passing. His most popular book being The Charlie and the Chocolate Factory series has been made into 2 movies both with different adaptations of his creative candy makers and inventions in them. There are a variety of characters that you can dress up as from this book. This includes Charlie Bucket, Willy Wonka, Augustus Gloop, Violet Beauregarde, Veruca Salt, Mike Teevee, and last but not least the Oompaloompas.

Where the Wild Things Are is a classic story written by Maurice Sendak. It follows the character Max who is a disobedient little boy who is sent to bed without his supper. It is then that he created his own world; a forest inhabited by ferocious wild creatures that crown Max as their ruler. Boys can dress up as Max by wearing a onsie and having a gold crown and staff.

Madeline is a children’s book series written by Ludwig Bemelmans. The story takes place in a Catholic boarding school in Paris. Contrary to popular belief, the girls are not orphans as their parents are mentioned in later sequels. The most famous line to come out of this series would be “That’s all there is; there isn’t any more.” This is uttered as the closing line. Girls can dress up as Madeline and her many friends from boarding school and the boys can dress up as Pepito the Spanish Ambassador’s son.

Pippi Longstocking is a Fictional character in a series of children’s books by Swedish author Astrid Lindgren. Pippi is unconventional, assertive and has superhuman strength. She frequently mocks and dupes adults she encounters, an attitude likely to appeal to younger readers. So all girls need to dress like her is her signature orange plaits sticking out your head.