National Simultaneous Storytime at State Library – Bowerbird Blues 

On Wednesday State Library of Queensland joined a chorus of voices all around Australia for National Simultaneous Storytime. 

Every year a picture book, written and illustrated by an Australian author and illustrator, is read simultaneously in libraries, schools, pre-schools, childcare centres, family homes, bookshops and many other places around the country. Now in its 24th year, National Simultaneous Storytime is a colourful, vibrant, fun event that aims to promote the value of reading, using an Australian children's book. 

This year, the book was Bowerbird Blues by Aura Parker, published by Scholastic (2023). 

Bowerbird Blues is a beautiful story about a lonely satin bowerbird’s search for blue things. He swoops and snatches vibrant treasures for his collection, and soon his bower – a mix of natural and unnatural objects – attracts an olive-green female satin bowerbird and the blue bowerbird realises what he has been searching for all along.  

There was lots of excitement at State Library on Wednesday... and lots of blue.  

The activities started with an outdoor bower hunt looking for blue things. Children and families swooped around trees and gardens, snatching and searching for anything blue. At 12.00 the State Librarian and CEO, Vicki McDonald AM FALIA read the book aloud joining readers from all over Australia.  

The afternoon also included an exciting sun prints (or cyanotype) craft activity where families were invited to make original artworks in blue with natural objects like feathers and leaves, and some interesting collected and human-made objects as well.   

To develop this fun activity, the Children and Families team worked closely with Preservation at State Library to make the cyanotype paper.  

For more information about how you can support your child’s health and wellbeing through reading and creating together attend a First 5 Forever session at your local library and chat with the First 5 Forever staff. Your little bower bird is never too young to be a member of the local library. You can sign them up from birth!