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The sun has set. The gums trees rustle in the wind and  I am driving through the Royal National Park Sutherland.  I love driving through the bush along roads that wind and dip…. but there are

NO signs

ROAD BLOCKS

My PHONE is DEAD

I have no idea where I was and drive along the road, over a weir with no people around and no help.

LOST in the NATIONAL PARK and I’m late with 100 girls waiting for my talk.

I flag down a ute with 2 young guys in it. I am hoping it’s not Ivan Milat. No it’s not – 2 young guys towing their trail bikes. ‘Follow me.’ I zoom behind them. ‘That way.’

It is the track from ‘deliverance country’ – winding, bush, dark with road blocks all the way – watch out for the wallaby. Just missed the wombat . Get to the winding river.

No humanity. Huts …. then I find it – Rathane House filled with girls and teachers and excitement – I’m an ambassador for the National Year of  Reading and finally arrived.

It was a wonderful hour of sharing story, my ‘Ships in the Field’ (Ford Street Publishing) with endless enthusiasm from the SCEGGS girls.

Loved it.

Then I took a breath. Mist had descended as I headed throughout bushland back to the highway missing kangaroos and wallabys.

Would you save baby Hitler if you could?

He killed 6 million Jews,millions of disabled people and started World War 11.

The world has ended and there is one tin of soup left. Would you share it with your brother?

It’s the future where babies can be genetically designed. Should all babies be perfect?

Michael Parker, author of YA novel ‘Doppelganger’ (Penguin); author of philosophy textbooks,  Deputy Headmaster of Senior School Cranbrook in Sydney poses challenging questions in:-

‘ethics 101 conversations to have with your kids’

Published by Jane Curry Publishing Australia

Cranbrook School is a old boys’ school overlooking stunning Sydney Harbour in Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs.

Committed to social justice, its Indigenous Scholarship Fund offers tuition to indigenous boys.  All royalties and profit for the sale of this book go to the Indigenous Scholarship Fund.

It was a wonderful launch at Oscar & friends Booksellers Double Bay.

CONGRATULATIONS Michael

Proud to support this event as an ambassador for the National Year of Reading 2012

A sojourn in the country. Gloucester is one of those ideallic villages.

Impacted by the decline of the dairy industry for small holders, there were still dairy cows dotting the fields.

Fires are threatening and I had breakfast with firefighters who were staying at my motel.

Maybe the threats of fire, make the young people thinkers, maybe the relationship with the land. Whatever it is, they had great questions and were engaged in critical thinking and literature.

‘Ships in the Field’ and Belonging are natural partners. Anna Pignataro’s evocative illustrations of a family seeking belonging in a new ‘field’/land and the story reach into an immigrant world. It opens questions and discussion.

I was deeply touched by Caitlin a year 11 student, who shared her love of ‘Butterflies’ with me. I wrote that from such a deep place – that search for identity, meeting challenges and being all you can be.  Thankyou Caitlin.

I LOVE Gloucester.

The beautiful kids and teachers of Holy Spirit School North Ryde have embraced Room to Read – www.roomtoread.org 

- Educating the Children of the developing world.

So far Room to Read has reached 6.6 million children in countries including Vietnam, Nepal. India … Uganda and aims to reach 20 million children by 2020!

I’m proud to be a ROOM TO READ Author Ambassador.

I was there with 4 hats as a:-

Room to Read Author Ambassador

Ambassador for the National Year of Reading 2012

Patron of Monkey Baa Theatre www.monkeybaa.com.au

The author of:-

NO to School Bullying & I AM JACK

Universal Human Rights – everyone has the right to a nationality & ‘Ships in the Field’

It was a warm, wonderful and joyous day there.

Thankyou Kosalay Pather for inviting me to your school.

Room to Read endorses ‘I Am Jack’.

 Monkey Baa Theatre’s adaptation of ‘I AM JACK’ will be performed at the Lend lease Darling Quarter Theatre Darling Harbour 11-15 March Bookings:-

[email protected]

It’s a privilege to be an Ambassador for the National Year of Reading. 

I love being sent to speak at libraries around the country; speaking to kids.

Today it was Campbelltown Library with Ingleburn High School students.

They were wonderful and thoughtful. I appreciated their comments and engagement. Thankyou.

I shared anti bullying through ‘I Am Jack;, music through ‘That’s Why I Wrote This Song’ – they were all into music. 

I shared my family’s journey as refugees finding home in a new country through ‘Ships in the Field.’

Had two fantastic days hosted by the Taree Library.

They combined my visit as an ambassador for the National Year of Reading with The Cancer Council’s Biggest Morning Tea.

Check out the website: www.love2read.org

I shared ‘Always Jack’ which carries the Cancer Council’s yellow daffodil with enthusiastic readers at Harrington and Halliday’s Point Libraries.

Spoke about Room to read bringing literacy to the children of the developing world. www.roomtoread.org

Thankyou to my fabulous Taree Library host Tanya McLean.

Great to catch up with Di Emms the librarian at Halliday’s Point Library.  She hosted me a decade ago at the library at Foster-Tuncurry

The North Coast is so beautiful.

Authors, illustrators, librarians, publishers …. so many people gathered to celebrate Maurice Saxby’s contribution to children’s literature.

Professor Robyn Ewing gave the keynote:- ‘Story is at the centre of what we do – imagine.’

‘A creative work remains permanently unfinished.’ Shaun Tan.

Children’s literature promotes creativity, imagination and exploration. 

The inaugural Maurice Saxby lecture was the brainchild of Libby Gleeson, an Ambassador for the National Year of Reading. She was joined by other ambassadors – Chris Cheng, Libby Hathorn and me.

A national year of Reading event 

It was a wonderful evening in Sydney’s heritage Mitchell Library.

Libraries, libraries, libraries – you’ve got to LOVE them.

They’re spreading the reading message and as an ambassador for The National Year of Reading, I’m speaking at writers’ festivals, book launches, libraries, schools, bookshops.

Is it fantastic? YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

Here’s a snapshot of my May tours for The National Year of Reading  - www.love2read.org

4-6th May ~ Keynote at the Gloucester Writers festival –  www.gloucesterwritersfestival.com

6th May – Launch at Gloucester Festival  of   ‘Alien Shores’ an anthology of refugees narratives that reach into struggles, humour, life of finding home with authors including speaking Sharon Rundle and Andrew Kwong. I’ll be speaking about my story.

17th -18th May -Coff’s Harbour region speaking at schools and the Catholic Diocese of Lismore in Northern NSW Teacher-Librarian Conference

20th May – Melbourne for the launch of Alien Shores by the Human Rights QC Julian Burnside with authors, Arnold Zable, Sharon Rundle, Professor Meenakshi Bharat, Susanne Gervay at 6 p.m. Readings Bookstore Carlton. http://www.readings.com.au/review/alien-shores-by-sharon-rundle-meenakshi-bharat-eds

22nd May – Launching Alien Shores in Sydney at The Hughenden Hotel with authors Linda Jailin, Sophie Masson, Sharon Rundle, Rosie Scott with the Consul General of India www.thehughenden.com.au

23rd May- Randwick Library in Sydney for Simultaneous Reading Time where ambassadors will read to parents and littlies across Australia – can’t wait, it’s going to be gorgeous!  http://www.alia.org.au/nss/

24-May – Taree Library speaking about ‘Always Jack’ for the Biggest Morning Tea in support of the Cancer Council at Taree Library brought up by the Australian Library and Information Association

25th May -Halliday’s Point Library on North Coast NSW

28th May – speaking at 10 am in Warringah Library in Sydney’s Northern Beaches about my first picture book ‘Ships in the Field’.

29th May – Teacher Librarian Conference at Maroubra Junction Public School Sydney

That’s my MAY spreading the National Year of Reading Celebration of Books!

Love you to come along and chat to me, or log onto the www.lovetoread.org website and joi