Gunnedah's National Simultaneous Storytime encourages early-childhood literacy

Gunnedah library held a reading session of the book Alpacas with Maracas at 11am on Wednesday - the same time as thousands of other sessions around the country.

Local woman Glenys Jones read the story aloud to the youngsters, and maracas were even played at various sections of the book.

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St Xavier's Primary School students got involved with the festivities at an early story time, and had fun completing activities in relation to the story such as colouring in and dressing up.

Gunnedah's deputy mayor Rob Hooke also presented certificates to the kids at the library, as part of the 1000 Books Before School program.

Many students received certificates for reading 50 books, including three-year-old Heidi Ryman and Liam McKenzie.

Two-year-old Usman Khan received a certificate for 250 books, and three-year-old Herz Zhu accepted a certificate for a whopping 500 books.

Cr Hooke congratulated all of the children on their achievements by giving them high-fives.

The 1000 Books Before School program began at Gunnedah library in 2014 with the aim of introducing young children to the world of reading and encouraging early-childhood literacy.

Children receive certificates as they reach milestones of 50, 100, 250, 500, 750 and 1000 books, and can get their book count up by attending the library's Toddler Time activities.

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