More than 100 children and 30 adults donned their hats for National Simultaneous Storytime at the Parkes Library on Wednesday. Parkes Library joined hundreds of groups across Australia for the reading of the picture book I Got This Hat at 11am.
“It has been one of our biggest events yet,” said Sandie Ward, Parkes Library storyteller. She had put a lot of preparation into a fabulous interactive performance of the book with the help of library and Council staff members. I Got This Hat is written by Jol and Kate Temple and illustrated by Jon Foye.
I got this hat in China.
I got this hat from a miner.
I got this hat from a deep-sea diver.
I got this hat from a racing-car driver… Hats.
Only the headless dislike them.
Everyone else loves wearing them!
This fun book takes a peek at the world around us through the playful medium of hats. The authors Kate and Jol Temple enjoy wearing hats together. They wear them whenever they write. Jol prefers a fedora and Kate a fez. They say I Got This Hat is for anyone who’s ever worn a hat.
Kate and Jol have written five books for children, including Parrot Carrot and Mike I Don’t Like. A new series of junior fiction called Jimmy Cook Discovers the Third Grade is due out this month.
The National Simultaneous Storytime is an annual campaign that aims to encourage more young Australians to read and enjoy books. Every year a picture book, written and illustrated by an Australian author and illustrator is read simultaneously in libraries and many other places around the country. Now in its 16th year, it is a colourful, vibrant and fun event that aims to promote the value of reading and literacy.
Caption: Children came with their parents, with Parkes Early Childhood Centre and home carers.