THE countdown is on to the annual Kerang book parade as parents, grandparents and children prepare costumes in time for the decades-old tradition to kick off at 11.30am on August 23.
It has been a tradition in Kerang for so long that some of the teachers in the parade once marched as children in the very same event when they were school children themselves.
Roads in the retail centre will close, including Albert Street, Scoresby Street, Fitzroy Street, Wellington Street and Victoria Street, and will become a sea of colour as children from the district’s primary schools, kindergartens and Indigenous groups dress up as their favorite book characters.
Marking the end of Book Week, the parade is an opportunity for students from different schools to come together and celebrate learning in a fun and colourful way.
One of the organisations supporting the day of fun is The Kerang Traders Inc with its 60 or so members getting involved in a very practical way as many dress in costume and join in the activities.
Book Week is an initiative of The Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) and has been a part of the educational landscape since 1945.
This year the slogan is ‘Reading is Magic’.
According to CBCA this year is all about celebrating reading stories and their amazing power to transport minds as they encourage kids to be curious about the wonders in the world.
The magic of reading also lies in its power of enticement as a good story provokes conversations.
Talking about the stories with others connects the reader with other readers.
