Books in Homes Australia® is celebrating its 20^th birthday in 2021, and Books in Homes would like to thank everyone who has been a part of our community since 2001.

Our gratitude extends to our many Sponsors who have funded the delivery of books and materials and who have consistently and exuberantly engaged with the students in their sponsored schools. We also wish to thank our Donors for helping us get more schools onto the Program, and Scholastic Australia for being our fantastic book distribution partner and delivering our books to schools and communities across Australia. In addition, we want to say thanks to our Book Selection Committee which meets three times a year to choose the books on the three catalogues; our 500+ Role Models for attending Book Giving Assemblies and inspiring the children on the Program to have fun reading; all of our schools, community centres and playgroups for helping to manage the Program so their students can take home their books-of-choice; and all our Volunteers and Supporters around the country who help to make Books in Homes what it has grown to today.

During its 20 years in existence, Books in Homes has fulfilled 742,182 student orders, worked with 726 schools and communities on the Program, and distributed over 2.7 million new and quality books to children through schools and communities around Australia amongst other initiatives.

Books in Homes is a charitable foundation that provides books-of-choice to children, living in remote, disadvantaged and low socio-economic circumstances, ensuring crucial early literacy engagement and the development of reading skills needed for lifelong achievement. The Program aims to overcome the inequality of educational opportunities in communities where access to books for families is limited or non-existent and resources are often scarce. In doing so, the Program contributes to helping overcome generational poverty by enhancing the chances of success in early education thereby opening up options, choices and potential in later life.

Books in Homes was originally founded by New Zealand author, Alan Duff, who wrote the widely acclaimed book Once Were Warriors (1990), which was later made into an award-winning film. Alan was inspired to create the Program in 1993 after a visit to a New Zealand primary school where he discovered the majority of children came from bookless homes and showed little or no interest in reading. Alan saw this as having a major negative impact on their educational, social, personal and professional development later in life. As a consequence, Alan launched Duffy Books in Homes into New Zealand schools in 1995 on the premise that book ownership would prompt a love of books and reading, and that having a home library would create the opportunity to share books with siblings and strengthen family bonds. Not content to rest on his laurels, Alan Duff visited Australia in 2001 and helped create the Books in Homes Australia chapter.

Says Alan Duff,

Every book you read a child is another piece of life’s puzzle. Only a literate child has the tools to flourish in an ever-changing world.

Peter Large, CEO of Books in Homes adds:

Twenty years of Books in Homes is a great achievement for all who have been part of our community! Twenty years of giving children a greater chance, greater opportunity and greater choice. Books in Homes has been proud to have been supported by so many for so long in its endeavour to promote educational opportunity through early literacy and reading engagement in order to assist in overcoming generational poverty. Twenty years is a fantastic achievement, but most importantly in that time we have learnt there is a long way to go. Thank you, and we trust you will be with us for some time to come.

The Books in Homes Trustees and team would like to thank our many Sponsors, Partners, Donors, Role Models and other Volunteers and Supporters for continuing to help us fulfil our vision—to create an Australia where every child and family has access to books in the home.

ENDS

Media Contacts:

Peter Large, CEO
Phone: 02 9434 2488 or 0411 405 405
Email: peterlarge@booksinhomes.com.au

Julie Ditrich, Communications Coordinator
Phone: 0412 445 511
Email: julieditrich@booksinhomes.com.au