One of the Shared Reading Events hosts is May Murray Early Learning Centre, in Marrickville, a suburb in Sydney's Inner West, recently spoke to National Street Library  about their favourite Shared Reading titles on StoryBox Hub. 

"May Murray ELC loves to read, we share stories in so many ways every day. We love using the StoryBox Hub as it has SO many diverse texts and readers, even with Auslan books so we can learn about other ways to communicate and so everyone can share in the joy of books. Our favourites change all the time, so it is hard to pick, but we have gone with a few that also reflect the ways we teach and learn at May Murray."

My Shadow is Purple

This is one of our favourite books and something that supports children to widen their perspectives. We believe that being different is to be celebrated, and so this book is a beautiful reminder that different doesn’t mean less than.

Sarah and the Steep Slope

We are always looking for ways to support mental health for our young citizens, and texts like this help children to understand the struggles that people sometimes face. Importantly, it also shares how to get help and support in an age appropriate way. We all agreed that asking a friend for help is a great way to feel better if we are sad, stressed or worried.

We are Australians

This is a wonderfully simple book that encourages us to consider the rights and responsibilities of citizenship. It’s a call to action for children to respectfully engage with the Country we learn on. This ties in with our learning on Country at May Murray, and our dharawal language program through the Gujaga Foundation.

Today We Have No Plans

We love this story as it echoes the busyness of our inner-city lives while encouraging children to really appreciate the times when they aren’t busy busy busy! We believe that all children deserve time to just be, and that is a huge part of what we do at May Murray.

Kind: A Call to Care for Every Creature

This text is a new favourite, and we love the message of caring for the whole planet. Children connect with the detailed images and the simple yet powerful message. Kindness is a core value that we hold at our centre, and this text reminds us how important it is that we share that kindness beyond our doors. This text also encourages children to think about different ways we can group animals together, building their observational skills and critical thinking.

A big thank you to May Murray Early Learning Centre, in Marrickville, for sharing their Top 5 StoryBox Library story picks! Keep your eyes out for more information, a new blog post and a collaboration with National Street Library in the coming week!