Australian authors and entertainers team up to bring the magic of reading to at-home learners

COVID-19 disrupted our children’s education, but fortunately in Australia most schools were able to offer some kind of support to parents and children until we are able to return to school routines. Children’s experiences around the globe have been many and varied.

UNESCO report over 1.5 billion of the world’s children are no longer attending school due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Room to Read, a global organisation focused on children’s literacy and girls’ education, has released read-aloud videos from Australian authors and influencers in the entertainment industry, alongside hundreds of free online children’s books for the first time publicly.

The released materials will help children continue to develop the skill and habit of reading, despite COVID-19 related school disruption. 10 well-known Australian authors, broadcast presenters and vocalists recorded video Read-alouds of children’s books to promote the work of Room to Read  The celebrities supporting Room to Read in Australia by recording video read-alouds are Deborah Abela: a children’s author most notably known for the Max Remy series, Sally Rippin: Australasia’s highest selling female author, Oliver Phommavanh: popular stand-up comedian and author, Tristan Bancks: actor, filmmaker and children’s writer, Tim Ferguson: author, comedian and screenwriter, Paul McDermott: comedian, entertainer and artist, Andrew Denton: presenter, producer and comedian, Libbi Gorr: presenter, writer and actor and Vika and Linda Bull: popular singing performing duo.

Room To Read hosts the program on Literacy Cloud, a platform supported by a US$2.2 million Google.org grant. The platform currently offers storybook titles in English and Bahasa Indonesia and will be quickly expanding to multiple additional languages in the coming weeks and months including Hindi, Kiswahili, Vietnamese, Nepali, Sinhalese, Bengali, Khmer, Lao, Mandarin, Cantonese and Spanish.

Better Reading proudly support the endeavours of Room To Read in the areas of illiteracy and gender inequality. It is such an uplifting story, filled with promise and hope for more equitable education opportunities.

 Dr. Geetha Murali, CEO of Room to Read, said

“Literacy Cloud is launching publicly to help the large number of parents who are teaching their children at home. We are so grateful to have this esteemed group of Australian authors and entertainers promoting the habit and love of reading at home.

Education is a stabilising force during times of crisis and as a publisher of more than 1600 titles and distributor of 26 million children’s books in 42 languages, Room to Read is uniquely positioned to bring the joy of reading to children in their homes as they find themselves displaced from their classrooms and libraries.

Parents and educators in Australia and around the world engaged in distance learning can instantly access beautiful, engaging and fun children’s books along with paced read-aloud videos designed to inspire young readers and help them become global citizens. These globally diverse books created by local authors and illustrators from around the world will help children develop empathy and understanding for experiences and cultures beyond their own.”

About Room to Read

Founded in 2000 on the belief that World Change Starts with Educated Children®, Room to Read  is creating  a world free from illiteracy and gender inequality. They are achieving this  goa l by helping children in low-income communities develop  literacy skills and  a habit of reading, by supporting girls to build skills to succeed in school and negotiate key life decisions.

They collaborate with  governments  and other partner organisations to deliver positive outcomes for children at scale. Room to Read has benefitted more than 18  million children  across 16 countries and 39,000 communities and aims to reach 40 million children by 2025. Learn more at  www.roomtoread.org.