Read your greens—feeding imaginations, one book at a time
In this podcast series for parents by parents, join the panel as they discuss books and kids.
The series will help you find a book your child will actually like, show you how to make story time special and reinforce why books still matter in a digital world.
Meet the panel
Nick Earls
Nick is the author of 28 books for children, teenagers and adults, including Zig Zag Street and the Word Hunters series. Nick regularly talks to students and host workshops about reading and writing.
Darren Adams-Beutel
Darren is a Senior Clinical Speech and Language Pathologist with the Queensland Department of Education, with a degree in Language and Applied Linguistics. Darren also taught English as a second language both in Australia and China.
Lizzy Dixon
Lizzy is the teacher librarian at Moorooka State School and joint winner of the Queensland School Library Association's Teacher Librarian of the Year Award.
Kirsten MacGregor
Kirsten is an Executive Director at the Queensland Department of Education, and a broadcaster with experience in media, strategic communication, and marketing. Her career includes decades working with the ABC and BBC as an executive producer, chief-of-staff, journalist and presenter. She is passionate about simple language, the power of storytelling, and waging war on jargon.
Episode 1—What makes a great kids book?
In this episode, listen to the panel chat about what makes a great children's book, how writing differs for each age group and the common myths about children's books.
Looking for book inspiration? Award-winning teacher librarian Lizzy Dixon lists the top 10 books most borrowed from the Moorooka State School library:
- Diary of a wimpy kid: Greg Heffley's journal by Jeff Kinney
- Logan likes Mary Anne! by Gale Galligan and Braden Lamb
- Lord of the Fleas by Dav Pilkey
- Minecraft: beginner's handbook by Stephaine Milton, Paul Soares and Jordan Maron
- Dog man by Dav Pilkey
- Dog man unleashed by Dav Pilkey
- Dog man mothering heights by Dav Pilkey
- Mary Anne's Bad Luck Mystery: a graphic novel by Cynthia Cheng, Braden Lamb and Hank Jones
- Into the Wild by Ahn Do and Jeremy Ley
- Minecraft construction handbook by Matthew Needler and Phil Southam
Episode 2—The art of storytime
In this episode: tips and tricks to make reading to kids enjoyable, how to survive book week and audiobooks are friends, not foes.
Episode 3—Why do books still matter?
In this episode: why books still matter in the digital age, keeping children engaged with reading and how the Premier's Reading Challenge is the cherry to top off your kid's ice cream party.