Councillor Bob Pond and Mayor Caroline Knight with ‘Noorook: The Story of the Egg’ author Emma Morgan and illustrator Madison De Bono
A special reading egg is making its way around Mandurah as part of the Paint Mandjoogoordap REaD early literacy program.
Last week the City of Mandurah and its partners launched this special program and introduced the egg to the community, which represents the important growth and development of a child’s brain.
Part of the National ‘Paint the Town REaD’ literacy movement, the local program reflects Mandurah’s unique approach to building strong foundations for lifelong learning and school readiness. The program has already been delivered at 120 locations across Australia.
Mayor Caroline Knight said the City was excited for this meaningful program to be rolled out in Mandurah, helping to support a shared love of reading, language and conversations.
Mandurah’s reading egg will now travel throughout the community over the next eight months, visiting local schools, organisations, playgroups, shops and libraries where children are encouraged to help the egg grow by reading, singing, and talking to it. It will also make special appearances at community events including the City’s Moonlight Movies series.
The egg will visit each location three times so that children, families, educators and the community can see the egg grow. As the egg grows, it will symbolise the community’s collective effort to nurture and share a love of learning for local children.
During Children’s Week in October, the reading egg will hatch, revealing Mandurah’s very own ‘reading bug’ mascot.
As part of the program, a local story has been created called ‘Noorook: The Story of the Egg’. The story was crafted in Mandurah, written by Emma Morgan and illustrated by local student and artist Madison De Bono.
The story encourages everyone to see literacy as a journey that begins in the early years and grows with the love and support of a connected, caring community.
Paint Mandjoogoordap REaD is supported by the Australian Government, the WA Department of Education, and the Department of Communities.
