January scraps #4

My final scraps from a hazy January before the year really kicks off.

100 School Days by Deborah Frenkel, illustrated by Laura Stitzel

Well, here we go. School has gone back this week. I know this often comes with mixed feelings for educators, families, and kids. Holidays are over, and any glorious laziness or stillness or peace that entails, but then again, routines are back, and it’s a fresh start, a chance to use our brains and move our bodies, and just get going.

Over my many years in schools I’ve always hated the last few days of the summer. Time drags and I’m ready to get started, but I’m also often dreading the end of the break. Contradictory, I know! The anticipation in the lead-up is usually the worst. When it finally arrives, I always love the first day back.

I hope that you also enjoy your first day of school this year: as a parent, grandparent, teacher, librarian, or young person. It is, to be extra hopeful, another chance for us to get it right.

(Whatever that looks like for you.)

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Fixed book pricing

I saw an article about fixed book pricing shared on social media this week, which continues a recent trend of discourse about how much better other countries are at supporting their local book industries. We seem to be getting it wrong in many ways.

"If you believe in Australian writing, then you have to understand, we have to find a way to have more bookshops to make them sustainable, and that there is an answer to this crisis, and it's a proven answer."

I’d be very interested to see what Australian booksellers and consumers thought about this kind of policy! I also didn’t realise that Australia used to have its own FBP scheme until it was abolished in 1972.

Regardless of what you think about the idea, it’s great to see some media reporting with some practical solutions, not just doom and gloom about the industry in general. I’m keen to read about ways we can start to do better on this front.

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It’s nearly Notables time!

I’ll be celebrating the announcement of the CBCA Notables list at the CBCA VIC Branch event at Bargoonga Nganjin, North Fitzroy Library on 25 February. If you’re in Melbourne, come along! And if not, see if there are other events happening in your state or city. You can also just follow online to see the big reveal.

It’s an exciting time of the year. I find that the Notables (longlists) in particular are the perfect starting point for educators and parents who want to engage with contemporary, high-quality Australian children’s literature. I always find new books to add to my to-read list, no matter how diligent I think I’ve been with tracking down everything that has been published in the previous year. And as a previous CBCA judge, I know how intense and nerve-wracking the experience of compiling the lists is. I can’t wait to see what they’ve come up with this year!

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No longer taboo

I just finished reading Taboo: Conversations we never had about sex, body image, work and relationships by Hannah Ferguson. It was the second book (after Make It Make Sense by Lucy Blakiston and Bel Hawkins) I’ve read recently that felt clearly aimed at adults younger than myself, which is a new experience for me! I’m getting older! There is a generation of adults that are younger than me now! Aside from that startling realisation and the existential crisis it may initiate, I am glad that I read this book and I’m glad it exists.