In a massive win for Greater Dandenong, local children read more books than anywhere else in Victoria during this year’s BIG Summer Read!
Greater Dandenong Mayor, Councillor Jim Memeti, had the honour of announcing the exciting news during a celebration event at Dandenong Library on Saturday 8 February.
A very proud Cr Memeti congratulated the families who read 8931 books between them.
“I am honestly bursting with pride! Thousands of Victorian children took part in the BIG Summer Read and this is an incredible achievement. Congratulations to all of you,” the Mayor beamed.
“We’re lucky to have wonderful libraries here in Dandenong, and in Springvale, where everyone is welcome to share in the joy of reading and all the community activities we offer.”
The BIG Summer Read is an annual reading challenge for children aged 4 to 12 years. It is presented by Public Libraries Victoria and Greater Dandenong Libraries.
It encourages children across the state to have fun and keep up with reading over the summer holidays. This year, children from 50 council areas took part.
State Member for Dandenong, Gabrielle Williams, said the BIG Summer Read helped young readers tackle the ‘summer slide’— a common challenge where students lose literacy skills during extended breaks from reading.
“I’m thrilled that our families read the most books this BIG Summer Read! You should all be so proud and I hope you enjoy your prizes,” Ms Williams said.
“I can only imagine the adventures you had as you read all of those books! Thank you to everyone who took part. This enthusiasm for reading is a great sign that we’ll see an uplift in literacy across Greater Dandenong too!”