One of the best ways to set a child up for being able to read independently is to improve their skills through encouraging a love of books and sharing stories together.
Creating routines and rituals around books can help turn even the most reluctant readers into children with a love of stories. And storytime doesn't end when you turn the final page: talk about that book too. These conversations help children absorb and articulate what they read.
Here are some of our favourite picture books to read with a child and then discuss afterwards.
Charlie loves whales. Minke whales, orcas, beluga whales and humpbacks, sperm whales and right whales, and especially the great blue whale. Little readers will delight in Charlie's obsession with, and the illustrations of, these majestic giants of the sea from one of Australia's most loved and awarded writers for children.
Read an extract from No One's Looking, a comedic and uplifting novel from bestselling author Brooke Davis. Out October 13 2026!
Information on Alice Oseman's - author of Heartstopper - trip to Australia and New Zealand.
Meet Aussie dark romance author Penny Sunday!
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