Literacy Initiatives

Paint the Town REaD

Let’s all read, talk, sing and rhyme with children from birth

This early literacy movement began with the knowledge that “more than 20% of Australian children arrive at school without the skills necessary to make the most of their early education”. It has been found that a child’s ability to learn to read and write is set in the first five years – before school starts.

Paint the Town REaD was developed to bring a whole community approach to spending time with “children every day, from birth — talking, singing, rhyming, reading”. It is about inspiring and empowering community groups, businesses, agencies and families to integrate a literacy culture into everything that they do. It is also about being creative and having fun!

To help spread the Paint the Town REaD message throughout our community three very special Reading Egg hatchings happened in 2018!

  • Childers Reading Egg hatched a frog*.
  • Gin Gin Reading Egg hatched twin crocodiles*
  • Bundaberg Reading Egg hatched four baby turtles*

*All of the ‘hatchlings’ are hand puppets.

Since then all hatchlings have celebrated a number of birthday surrounded by the community and plenty of singing, reading, rhyming and talking.

Contact the library to find out how you can borrow or use the hatchling with the child in your life.

For more information about the Paint the Town REaD movement visit:

https://www.paintthetownread.info/