St Anne’s College Year 6 students Charlotte Merkel, Amelia Nguyen and Olivia Caruana listening to the story.
Like a Mexican wave inside an amped sporting stadium or a usually luminescent city going dark for 60 minutes during Earth Hour when everyone simultaneously switches off their lights, the keenest readers among us — our young — collectively sat and listened to the same story right across Australia on May 21.
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The book: The Truck Cat.
The reason: National Simultaneous Storytime.
Now in its 25th year, the event is held annually by the Australian Library and Information Association.
It has grown from strength to strength, with a record number of more than 2.3 million participants joining in 2024 across more than 21,000 locations.
It sees a picture book written and illustrated by an Australian author and illustrator read simultaneously in libraries, schools, pre-schools, childcare centres, homes, bookshops and anywhere else that has registered to join in the event throughout the country.
Kialla’s St Anne’s College Year 6 students participate in National Simultaneous Storytime on May 22.
The free event happens online, but many venues choose to have a hard copy of the book on hand during the day.
The criteria for the chosen book include that it must have a positive storyline, appeal to a modern and diverse audience, be suitable for reading aloud (language and length), and be able to lend itself to craft and other activities.
The Truck Cat, written by Deborah Frenkel and illustrated by Danny Snell, is a story about cats and humans, immigration and identity, and homes lost and found.
It features Tinka, the truck cat, and his human, Yacoub, who travel around in a truck for work, learning the landscape of a new country and longing for connection.
Students in Years 1 to 4 gathered together to take part in National Simultaneous Storytime.
St Anne’s College primary school students joined the literary fun again this year.
“Our primary school students participate in National Simultaneous Storytime each year,” St Anne’s College primary school leader Kara McCann said.
“It’s an event that we are proud to be a part of, which promotes the value of reading and literacy.
“Our students thoroughly enjoyed hearing this year’s book, The Truck Cat, a story about belonging and connection.”
For more information on National Simultaneous Storytime, visit the ALIA website.
