23 May 2018

Geelong Regional Library Corporation (GRLC) Chair, Councillor Ron Nelson has congratulated children who participated in National Simultaneous Storytime and encouraged local families to continue to promote the value of reading.

Hundreds of children attended public libraries, bookshops, kindergartens and schools throughout the region – joining many hundreds of thousands of other children across Australia for a simultaneous reading of Tony Wilson’s ‘Hickory Dickory Dash.’

Cr Nelson, fellow GRLC Board Members and local councillors guest-read ‘Hickory Dickory Dash’ at the Geelong Library and Heritage Centre and local library branches. He says National Simultaneous Storytime ‘provides a syndicated, national prioritisation of the value of reading to pre-school and primary-aged children and "I congratulate everyone who participated today."

“Substantial research points to the profound, long-term benefits of shared reading experiences for young people, including baseline literacy skills and cognitive and vocabulary development,” Cr Nelson says.

“As a trusted civic institution, Geelong Regional Libraries has a responsibility to foster children’s enjoyment of and participation in reading and literacy and wherever possible, to actively encourage families to continue reading with their children at home.”

“Geelong Regional Libraries offers more than 40 early literacy sessions weekly across our branches, including Baby Time, Toddler Time and Preschool Story,” Cr Nelson says.

‘Hickory Dickory Dash’ (illustrated by Laura Wood) tells the story of a mother mouse searching for her two missing sons, as she keeps an eye on the clock and a one-eyed cat. The book’s author Tony Wilson, is an Australian broadcaster who has been writing children’s books for more than 10 years, including the bestselling ‘The Cow Tripped Over the Moon’ (2016).

For more information about Geelong Regional Libraries’ early literacy initiatives visit

[Image credit: Marc Salazar]