Thursday, 10 July 2014

Speech Pathology Australia Book of the Year 2014 Shortlist

If you are considering additions to your home library, gifts for children or a donation to a school or pre-school library, the SPA Book of the Year shortlist and lists of previous winners can be an excellent guide. The 2014 winners will be announced in August:

Speech Pathology Australia (SPA) has released the shortlist for its annual Book of the Year Awards.

The awards aim to promote literacy and the need for good literacy skills, while building a library of resources that speech pathologists, teachers and parents can use to help promote literacy and reading.

The year’s shortlist consists of over 40 books in five categories: Best Book for Language and Literacy Development birth to 3 years, 3 to 5 years, 5 to 8 years, 8 to 10 years and Indigenous Children, with entries from favourite Australian authors such as Alison Lester, Mem Fox and Margaret Wild.

SPA President, Professor Deborah Theodoros said that literacy levels in Australia are at alarming levels and SPA hopes the Book of the Year Awards will help promote literacy as a fun and engaging activity and provide enjoyable and culturally appropriate resources that foster language and literacy skill development.

“In Australia today 14 per cent of 15 year olds have only basic literacy skills, while the literacy gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous children is depressingly wide and continues to widen with each year that passes.”

“As the peak professional body for speech pathologists we are in a unique position to recommend books to parents and educators that can assist children’s speech, language and literacy development.”

Each year, Speech Pathology Australia selects children’s books based on their appeal to children, educational value, graphics and design, as well as their ability to facilitate communication, interaction and discussion.

For more information about Speech Pathology Australia’s Book of the Year awards, visit
www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au
  • Previous award winners are listed at the foot of the webpage for this year's awards.

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