1000 books 1000 days
A co-publishing project on Bruny Island
“The Prep/1 class have loved making books and spent some time making non fiction books about birds to line up with the work we have been doing in class. We made a bit of a ceremony this afternoon of adding their books to the Cubby and they were so proud. We might spend every Friday afternoon in the MPR for a few weeks so that they have a chance to read their books to each other and to read other books that have been published. They were very excited also about being able to take a copy of their book home as well as leave one for the library…so professional!”
This project is centred on publishing books for, with and by young children on Bruny Island, Tasmania, through accessible intergenerational workshops. The project has been funded through a BF Community grant. The books co-created will be displayed and shared across the island in a customised Bruny Island Book Cubby, which will lead to further workshops in a rolling program responsive to community demand.
Overwhelming evidence correlates time spent with books in the first years of life and future literacy attainment. The Australian Education Research Organisation (AERO) calls for ‘language rich environments that help learners develop a love of language from infancy. As well as talking with children, fill the learning environment with books, visual representations of print, writing materials and literacy props’. Creating and publishing their own books is a great way of achieving this.
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This project is centred on publishing books for, with and by young children through accessible intergeneration
al workshops. The books co-created are displayed and shared across the island in a customised Bruny Island Book Cubby, which in turn leads to further workshops in a rolling program responsive to community demand. A flexible structure is proposed:
Co-publishing books with children: 3 x 2-day blocks of learning sessions/professional development/ training for parents, children, educators, artists and other community members alongside the Kids’ Own Book Cubby (led by All That We Are)
Ongoing multiple book co-creation workshops: Interg enerational, community based, flexible participants and settings including Little Penguins/LiL (supported by local champions):
0-6 months: Parents/families as children’s first teachers – books for very young children by parents, carers and older siblings
6 months – 2.5 years: Validating young children’s early communication through mark making –collaborating to make playful books with young children
2.5 – 4 years: Early stories from children of their lived experience on Bruny Island – publishing books by young children.
Exhibiting and sharing published books via the Kids’ Own Book Cubby customised for the project by children supported by Bruny Island District School/ supergroms program/Men’s Shed) – bringing books by, with and for young children to different locations (TBA) across Bruny Island.
4. Co-creating and publishing a culminating community book with ISBN (working title ‘The Little Island Book’) to celebrate and publicise the project its key messages
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Bruny Island Community Association Inc. (BICA)
Bruny Island Community Library (BICL)
Bruny Island District School (BIDS)
Little Penguins, Launching into Learning (LiL) supergroms after-school program for children Parents and young children participating in Launching into Learning program
Older siblings/other children living on Bruny (through Bruny Island Community Library, supergroms program and Bruny Island District School)
The Men’s Shed
Up to four local artists
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• Building awareness of the importance of the first 1000 days of life and other key B4 messages through aspiring to publish 1000 small books.
• Increased engagement with the Community Library and book related activities for parents, young children and their older siblings
• Multiple books by children and their significant adults, for young children (including single-sheet 8-page hotdog books, other small scale micropublications and a community book published with an ISBN (‘The Little Island Book’) contributing to the Bruny Island Community Library collection for children
• A sustainable community publishing hub, serving the community of children on Bruny Island and promoting positive intergenerational literacy engagements, particularly through LiL.
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March 2024 – Initial training sessions for first round of facilitators and champions with ATWA
March 2024 – Bruny Book Cubby customised (BIDS)
March 2024: Launch event at the Easter Carnival with the Bruny Book Cubby on site
June 2024: Community engagement #2 with ATWA – micropublishing books workshops (LiL, supergroms and BICL)
September 2024: Community engagement #3 – micropublishing books workshops
Exhibition of work to date (location TBD)
January 2025: Workshops with local artist/s – co-creation of ‘The Island Book’ (working title)
February - April 2025 Design and printing of ‘The Little Island Book’
April 2025: Celebration and book launch Exhibition of all work to date
