Echuca East Primary School students have been named for Book of the Year awards as part of Book Week celebrations. Photos: Jordan Townrow
Top student-made literary works have been awarded at Echuca East Primary School, rounding out Book Week celebrations.
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For the past 11 years, the school has run a Book of the Year competition, which sees students recreate the process of crafting and publishing their own picture books.
Following the annual Book Week costume parade last week, winners of the initiative were announced, commending their storytelling and illustration skills.
Jaxon Richardson and Oscar Potter representing their favourite teams.
The school court came alive with fictional characters for Book Week.
Principal Lindy Burke said every student in the school writes their own book in Term 2, which goes through a series of drafts.
“The purpose of it is to immerse the kids into authentic literacy,” she said.
“It goes from idea, to draft form, to a typed out, good copy that’s then illustrated as consistently as possible, like an actual published book.”
Principal Lindy Burke, dressed as Bluey, and Level 3 Special Commendation winner Layla Waters.
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Ms Burke takes about 300 final drafts home over the July school holidays to shortlist stand-out works, and chooses winners with teachers at the start of Term 3.
After the extensive process, one student is crowned for creating the Book of the Year, with Bridie Williams chosen last week for her work, Bird Break Out.
The story revolves around birds in a pet store who hear about an avian retreat, and plot to escape their enclosure to be free.
Kids in each grade level are also chosen for the Principal’s Award, Special Commendation, Illustrator’s Award, Student Choice and Deadly accolades for Indigenous kids.
Principal’s Award winners included Ava Hamilton for The Day the WiFi Went Down, Lincoln Portwine for The Two Soldiers, Emma Borovac for Mia and the Money, and Milla Maude for Layla the Robot.
Ms Burke and Level 2 Principal’s Award winner Emma Borovac.
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Teacher Jye Warren, Level 2 Deadly Storyteller winner Djikurra Atkinson, and Ms Burke.
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Storyteller winners are gifted a printed copy of their work, while illustrator awardees are given a framed picture of one of their book’s pages.
“The end result is incredible,” Ms Burke said.
“We actually get their books published through a photo book company.
“A lot of the kids will say ‘one of my favourite things at the school is the Book of the Year’, and ‘I’m a published author of one, two, or three (books)’.”
Ms Burke and Lucas O'Donnell, who won the Level 4 Illustrator's Award.
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Book of the Year award winners are announced following the Book Week parade.
Along with the printed copy of their works, the stories are also put to film, with footage of readings uploaded online.
A mini publicity tour follows, with award winners teaming up with their buddy grades to present their stories throughout the school.
“That’s still one of my favourite parts,” Ms Burke said.
“The big kids are so gorgeous and kind, listening, asking questions and showing total interest in what the little kids have written and how they’ve presented the story.”
Illustrator awards are also displayed on a dedicated bulletin board at the school, and plans are under way to devote a section of the library to Book of the Year winners.
To see Bridie read Book of the Year Bird Break Out, visit https://tinyurl.com/2ppcxyab or head to the Echuca East Primary School Facebook page for her reading and others.
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