Daniel Andrews launches 2015 Victorian Premiers’ Reading Challenge

IF you want to be in Daniel Andrews’ good books, it’s pretty simple … join his reading challenge. But what would you be reading if you lived at the Premier’s house?

Dan Andrews for Premiers' Reading Challenge

IF you want to be in Daniel Andrews’ good books, it’s pretty simple … join the Premiers’ Reading Challenge.

The Premier is urging all Victorian children to take a leaf out of his book and sign up now.

“The challenge is an integral part of Victoria’s success story in getting our kids to improve their reading and writing,” said Mr Andrews, after an impromptu story time with children at Brandon Park Primary School.

Mr Andrews and wife Catherine have three children; Noah, 12, Grace, 10, and Joseph, 8, and cherished the time spent reading to them from the time they were babies.

Of all the books shared when the kids were younger, Rod Clement’s richly illustrated picture book, Olga the Brolga, was much loved and much read.

Others on the Andrews’ children must-read list were Halibut Jackson, The Jolly Postman and Miss Lily’s Fabulous Pink Feather Boa.

Now the children are older, and love reading, favoured authors include Roald Dahl and R.A. Spratt, while Noah loves his maternal Pop’s original Captain Pugwash pirate books by John Ryan from the 1950s and 1960s.

Mr Andrews said his own family’s experience reinforced how valuable the challenge was.

“It’s about encouraging our students to read every day. As we all know, the more kids read the better they perform at school,” he said.

“With so many books to choose from in the challenge, there’s something for kids of all ages and reading abilities to bury their heads in.”

The challenge, in its 11th year, runs from now until September 14 and promotes the importance of reading to children and young people.

Since 2005, nearly two million children have read 34 million books as part of the challenge.

If placed end-to-end, that’s enough paper backs and picture books to stretch from Melbourne to Hawaii.

Research shows daily reading to babies and young children is vital as reading six to seven times a week at age four leads to higher NAPLAN results at Year 3.

It also places these children 12 months ahead of children who are not read to every day.

The Victorian Premiers’ Reading Challenge is not a competition but a personal challenge for kids up until Year 10, to read a set number of books between now and September.

The aims are to:

• Motivate children and young people to read and engage them in reading as a pleasurable activity.

• Encourage children to read more and to read more widely

• Promote the importance of reading among children and young people in Victorian schools and early childhood services.

• Encourage families and parents to be more involved in supporting children’s reading from birth, during and beyond school.

The challenge is open to all Victorian students from independent, Catholic and government schools including home-based learners and preschool children from early childhood services from birth to Year 10-level.

All who complete the challenge receive an achievement certificate signed by the Victorian Premier and former premiers and can be listed on the online honour roll.

There are about 9000 books on the challenge booklist

Mr Andrews said he was proud to support the challenge alongside seven former Victorian premiers.

To register and for full details on the Premiers’ Reading Challenge go to education.vic.gov.au/prc

Herald Sun readers can collect their free Premiers’ Reading Challenge calendar in Tuesday’s paper.