For the past 21 years, students, teachers and families across Australia have come together each year on 25 May to participate in National Simultaneous Storytime and this year will be no different! At around 11am (EST) or 9am (WA time), participants will all read the same book at the same time, fostering a sense of community and excitement around reading, with the intention of getting children excited about books and learning!

This year the chosen book is ‘Family Tree’, a beautiful story written by Josh Pyke and illustrated by Ronojoy Ghosh. Family Tree is delightful book that celebrates family, community, and the seasons of life.

Reading is such a lovely way to engage with our children’s learning and this years book is certainly one we’d recommend adding to your shelves at home.

There are a bunch of different ways to engage with this fun day. The author Josh Pyke will be reading Family Tree live on the Scholastic Australia Facebook page at 8.50am (Perth time), but the video will be remain available after then if you’d like to go back and watch at a later date!

You may also choose to watch one of the various video readings of Family Tree below:

Learn from Play have also created a range of fun and educational resources, including a maze, memory cards and a puzzle, to go along with the reading of Family Tree. CleverPatch are also offering a free e-book resource to help you engage with Family Tree themed craft activities!

Happy reading!!