A welcome return of the Black Cat Book Café

WITH lockdowns behind them, the children from Euroa Primary School (EPS) welcomed the return of the Black Cat Book Café. Although this activity is usually held in Book Week, the event was restaged as it had proven to be a valuable exercise during 2020. The room was set up like a café with tablecloths and flowers on each table and each table provided a different genre of books which this year included historical, biographies, realistic fiction, humour, mystery and fantasy. During a single session, the children, in small groups, would rotate and get a 'taste' of many genres and books. Observations from students demonstrated their obvious enjoyment of this activity. Maddison said: "The Black Cat Book Café looked really nice, just like a real café. We got to taste different genres from the menu." Zeke said: "It was good to try different genres. I found out I liked realistic fiction." The classroom teachers observed this activity from a different perspective. Year 3/4 teacher, Tim Young said: "It was wonderful for students who don't have a mixed diet in their reading really engaging in reading the new genres." And from Year 2 teacher, Jayden Burden: "My students tasted a variety of genres and came away with a greater awareness of a broader range of texts." While circulating around the 'café', it was evident that all the children were thoroughly engrossed in their reading and demonstrated an obvious pleasure in this event. A Book Fair had been planned for earlier in the year but a lockdown interrupted this event. Despite this many school families and community members were able to buy books and the book company was extremely generous via a percentage of sales which allowed for the purchase of more books for the school. Following a launch of 'classroom libraries' in 2020, these rotating libraries continue to be popular with the students. New books are regularly added which helps maintain the student's interest and involvement in reading. A much–awaited annual Book Week event is the parade which is usually related to a book theme. The parade is planned for Friday, November 5 from 9.15am, and will be at the usual high standard of colour and innovation. The Children's Book Council of Australia (CBCA) theme for 2021 'Old Worlds, New Worlds, Other Worlds' which conjures up many vivid images. Photos from the EPS parade will be featured in the Euroa Gazette next week.