BABIES had all the attention at a special event at the Springvale Library last week.
Babies Love Books themes baby bounce event for the Vietnamese community was held on 20 August at 2pm.
Young Readers Program ambassador and multi-award winning children’s author Jeanette Rowe was a special guest and said the free event was a fun way for parents to discover the joy of reading to their babies and meet other parents.
“Babies really do love books, it’s never too early to introduce them to your children. Reading to your baby can help foster a love of books and promote literacy,” she said.
“The Greater Dandenong region is a culturally rich area of Melbourne which is why presenting this event in both English and Vietnamese is a great way to engage the community and showcase the benefits of early readying.
“All the research points to a link between exposure to books at an early age and education outcomes. So reading to your children is more than great fun – it’s also good for them.” The bilingual event was part of the State Government’s 2.1 million Young Readers Program, which is a partnership between the State Library of Victoria, the Victorian Department of Education, Early Childhood Development and the Municipal Association for Victoria.
The program aims to touch the lives of 500,000 children by 2011 and to assist in fostering a love of books for like linking the relationship between literacy and the health and wellbeing of future generations.
The Young Readers Program will distribute free It’s Rhyme Time booklets and DVDs to parents at their baby’s four-month Maternal Health visit.