Storytime Comes To Life For Reading Downtown Day

The Forbes community are all invited to comae along and celebrate Reading Down­town Day on Monday 24 November at the Forbes Town Hall, with a free, special live performance of Mr Huff.

Brought to life by Meerkat Productions, Mr Huff is an award-winning children’s book about the clouds and the sunshine in each of our lives. Through music, movement andstorytelling, children will discover positive coping skills and practical wellbeing strate­gies. The program helps students recognise, name and manage their emotions, building resilience, self-awareness and emotional in­telligence in ways that stick. This production directly supports the goals of the National Children’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy (2021) — helping schools embed lifelong wellbeing skills through engaging arts experiences.

This special event is a partnership be­tween Forbes Shire Council, Forbes North Schools as Community Centres (SaCC) and Forbes Birth to Kinder, bringing the commu­nity together to celebrate literacy, learning and wellbeing.

Mayor Phyllis Miller OAM said it’s wonder­ful to see local partnerships supporting fun and meaningful events for families.

“Reading Downtown Day is such a special event because it inspires children to discov­er the joy of reading. It’s so wonderful to be able to do something different this year for the community that’s interactive and fun,” Mayor Miller said.

Hosted annually, Reading Downtown Day aims to raise awareness about the impor­tance of reading to children from a very young age.

This year marks the 21st year of the event in Forbes. Forbes North Schools SaCC committee member, Maree Yapp, said the group is proud to be celebrating over two decades of encouraging early literacy.

“It’s amazing to see how the event con­tinues to grow,” Mrs Yapp said. “Reading Downtown Day is all about showing families how powerful reading with children can be.

It builds connection, confidence and a life­long love of learning.”