News

Books take centre stage

By Bree Lambert

Sep 1, 2026

Kyabram P-12 College students Chloe and Milla dressed as B1 and B2 from the Bananas in Pyjamas for the costume parade. Photo by Supplied

Students across Kyabram have been celebrating their love of books, stories and creativity as part of Book Week.

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At Kyabram P-12 College, the annual Booktacular celebration brought a range of activities to students across the school, with this year’s ‘Symphony of Stories’ theme focusing on the connection between music, sound, audio and literacy.

Kyabram P-12 College library assistant Meg Sargant said the week was tailored to the school community and aimed to offer something for every student.

“We really prioritised the connection of music and sound and audio into reading and stories and how that connects with literacy,” she said.

Meg Sargant spoke about this year’s Book Week theme ‘Symphony of Stories’. Photo by Supplied

Activities throughout the week included a stop-motion animation workshop, a virtual theatre performance, interactive storytime, a book parade and book fairs for younger and senior students.

The Book Week parade was a particular highlight, bringing the school’s Prep to Year 12 community together to celebrate.

“The parade is always the highlight because it’s sort of the start of the week. It’s like the pinnacle of all events,” Miss Sargant said.

“It’s special because it’s a way for our whole Prep to 12 community to come together and celebrate.”

Addi dressed as Carl Fredricksen from Pixars Up. Photo by Supplied

For Miss Sargant, one of the greatest rewards is seeing students develop enthusiasm for reading, whether they are asking for the next book in a series or sharing how quickly they finished their latest read.

She said those small conversations were a reminder of the impact reading could have beyond the library.

“I think literature and reading and just the love of learning really has the power to do that,” she said.

Across town, St Augustine’s College also embraced the celebrations, with a week full of crafting, colouring-in competitions and students dressing up.

St Augustine’s College students Elisha, Brooke, Zara, Hannison dressed up as the Lorax. Photo by JORDAN TOWNROW

St Augustine’s College teacher librarian Trish Baker said having a dedicated week centred entirely on stories and reading was valuable.

“Especially in a country town where sometimes sporting achievements are really high on the agenda, sometimes it’s nice to recognise something that’s literary and academic,” Mrs Baker said.

“The kids really enjoy dressing up and when we can connect that with book characters and stories, I think that’s a valuable thing.

“It’s uplifting for me because sometimes we feel like culturally reading a book is not seen as being important or fun, so seeing the kids get really excited about it just lifts me up and carries me through the rest of the year.

“It’s just a beautiful thing to see kids happy and excited.”