Books for Little Bookaburras project
March 27, 2023
Hesperia is driven by a vision to deliver projects of meaning and enduring value. This commitment extends beyond our day-to-day operations, to ensure every aspect of the business supports a healthy and vibrant Western Australia.
This year, Hesperia is proud to support the Books for Little Bookaburras project, a Fremantle Press initiative focused on promoting literacy in Western Australia.
Books for Little Bookaburras launched on Wednesday 22 March with children across 74 playgroups, kindergartens and early education centres receiving a mini library to take home.
The ‘mini library’ included three books by local authors and illustrators – Colour Me by Ezekiel Kwaymullina and Moira Court; Rodney by Kelly Canby; More and More and More by Ian Mutch.
The book selection was curated to support reading progression, including simple text a child can attempt on their own, challenging text to be read by an adult and one book designed to be a read-together experience between child and adult.
The initiative will reach more than 4,000 children between across Western Australia, including those in regional and remote areas.
Community Development Lead Sarah Booth said Hesperia is pleased to be a part of such an immersive early childhood development program.
“Reading is important to every child’s development and access to books should not be limited by geographic location or economic status,” said Sarah.
“This is a fantastic initiative and Hesperia is proud to play a role in helping to improve literacy rates and enhance the educational opportunities available to all children in Western Australia,” said Sarah.
The support from sponsors has covered the annual cost of printing and distributing the mini library to children, administration costs and ensuring that the authors of the books receive royalties.
This three-year initiative provides an opportunity for every child in WA to have their very own books to enjoy at home – books that belong to them and can be read as a family.
Each mini library contains a guide to help parents engage in storytelling and reading the books with their children as well as translation links for multiple languages to accommodate linguistically diverse families.
If you’re organisation would also like to support this important educational initiative, please contact Admin at Fremantle Press for more information: admin@fremantlepress.com.au
