I LOVE summer in Kempsey, from the hinterland to the beach, it is just a beautiful place to be, filled with so many activities and opportunities.
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One of the less obvious, but no less amazing options is our library's Summer Reading Club.
Every year I marvel at how many kids and teenagers make their way to our libraries, proving that the love of reading does not diminish with new technology.
This year the theme is 'Tales of Wonder' with the staff and students looking at myths, fairytales and legends. It's such a perfect escapist world to give our children at the end of a year that they found as difficult if not more so than the rest of us.
Summer Reading Club kicks off this week and welcomes anyone aged three to 18 over the summer school holidays with a range of interactive activities available in the library and online. Plus there's a free sign-up pack for every participant, some great prizes on offer for those who get through 10 books or more and a free wrap-up party to be held at Kempsey's Majestic Cinema with a free film!
Reading is such a valuable life skill and such a fun activity to do with your kids so I encourage local families to take advantage of this wonderful program.
For more information about the program call Kempsey Shire Library on 6566-3210 or visit www.kempsey.nsw.gov.au/library
Great way to count to 10
If you want to have real fun counting off your 10 books, why not do so in Dhanggati, the language used by the Dunghutti and Thungutti people.
The Year 9 students at Macleay Valley Vocational Collage have created a children's book that teaches us how to count to 10 in Dhangatti with some amazing screen printed artwork of animals as well. They worked with local elders, art teachers and their mentors in the Youth Frontier Program to create the book and this week they took it to local primary schools and read it to the students before leaving it with them as a teaching aid.
Council was proud to help the students by funding them to print 40 books through Jabiru Printing in Kempsey. The book is 22 pages with gloss covers, and you'll love it. There is a copy in the Kempsey Library.
Karly Lane visit
Finally, I couldn't not mention the first real life author's talk taking place in the library this week.
Karly Lane lives on the Mid North Coast and she will come to read from and talk about her book Something Like This on Thursday at 10.30am.
I mean, who doesn't want to finish 2020 with a spell-binding new rural romance.
