Slides from keynote address of Marj Kirkland, president of the Children's Book Council of Australia, 2009-2010, at the Hands On: Literacy in the 21st Century Classroom and Library conference, Nov. 15, 2008, Singapore

1. Reading : Bridging the Gap Keynote Address by Marj Kirkland Incoming National President, Children’s Book Council of Australia 2009 - 2010 Teacher-Librarian, Aquinas College, Gold Coast, Queensland Illustration from “The Cloudchasers” by Steven Hunt and David Richardson

7. Why read? What benefits does reading give us?

14. Reading is power over words, thoughts, feelings and experiences…it is the power to choose, the power to decide. - Gwen Gawith

15. “ This book is a bridge. You cross alone. The landscape entered is your own.” - From “Over the Bridge” by John Loveday

16. Reading bridges the gap of understanding between real and imagined worlds. - Shaun Tan Reading bridges the gap of understanding between real and imagined worlds. - Shaun Tan

19. Reading fiction is a social simulator “ For the first time in history, there is now scientific evidence that reading fiction really does have psychological effects. Fiction is a simulation that runs on the software of our minds…it is a kind of simulation of the social world. ..just as people’s skills as pilots improve when they spend time in a flight simulator, so people’s social skills should improve when they spend time reading fiction.” Research by Mar, Hirsh, dela Paz, Peterson and Oatley reported in: Oatley,K 2008 ‘The science of fiction’, New Scientist, 28 June, p.42-43.

21. The hero of the book (“The Outsider”) is condemned because he doesn't play the game ... He refuses to lie. Lying is not only saying what isn't true. It is also, in fact especially, saying more than is true and, in the case of the human heart, saying more than one feels. We all do it, every day, to make life simpler. But Meursault, contrary to appearances, doesn't want to make life simpler. He says what he is, he refuses to hide his feelings and society immediately feels threatened.

24. By concentrating on tasks and doing things in different ways, our brains’ electrical circuits are rewired, permanently imprinting and creating new brain maps. - Dr Norman Doidge

26. If they are reading, WHAT are they reading? “ Reading may be harmful to your kids:…” (Tom Engelhardt, 1991) Children’s reading is marked by ‘glut and deprivation’…Many books were formulaic and predictable… Often, the most popular books were linked to film and TV characters. “ Buried alive: Our children and the avalanche of crud” David Denby “ Our kids…are shaped by the media as consumers before they have a chance to develop their own souls.” “ The general cumulative effect of this pop culture is to make consumers out of children, not responsible citizens…” As quoted in “Sticks and stones” by Jack Zipes

30. Our mission : Bridging the gap between online and text reading “ It’s our job to take digital natives – teens saturated with images in video games and on YouTube – and get them to strike up a relationship with pictureless chains of black print and focus on the decidedly internal rewards of classical literature…” Nancy Schnog. “We’re teaching books that don’t stack up”, Washington Post August 24, 2008, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/22/AR2008082202398.html?hpid=opinionsbox1 Karen Brooks “An impossible passion” Ignore popular culture at your peril. Are different reading environments complementary? Can the digital environment actually enhance reading?

36. Inside a dog – State Library of Victoria - writer in residence, competitions, downloads etc. http :// www.insideadog.com.au / Inanimate Alice http://www.inanimatealice.com/ 'Inanimate Alice' tells the story of Alice, a young girl growing up in the first half of the 21st century, and her imaginary digital friend, Brad. Over ten episodes, each a self contained story, we see Alice grow from an eight year old living with her parents in a remote region of Northern China to a talented mid-twenties animator and designer with the biggest games company in the world. Read Alert http://www.slv.vic.gov.au/services/education/youthlit/readalert/ CMIS – List of author blogs http://cmisevalff.edublogs.org/ya-author-blogs / Read Alert A Blog about youth literature

37. Literacy needs a community-wide approach.

38. If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need. – Cicero