Media Release
18th May 2021
Libraries across Tasmania are inviting families to join in an intergalactic adventure on Wednesday, 19 May at I I :00 am – when this year’s National Simultaneous Storytime (NSS) will be held from space!
NSS is an annual event, where the same book is read at the same time, by hundreds of thousands of readers across the country.
This year, ALIA, Scholastic, the Australian Space Agency and the Office of the Chief Scientist have come together to bring children across Australia an intergalactic experience.
Dr Shannon Walker, a real astronaut located on the International Space Station, will read the book ‘Give Me Some Space!’, written and illustrated by Philip Bunting.
Dr Walker is a NASA astronaut who has spent more than 200 days in space. She is currently serving as a mission specialist for the SpaceX Crew-I mission, travelling to the International Space Station on the spacecraft, Resilience, on 15 November 2020.
Closer to home, Tasmanian astronomer Dr Martin George credits his inspiration for becoming an astronomer to books, reading and storytelling.
“My upbringing included plenty of time with books. I became addicted to reading!”
“I still have many of the astronomy books from my childhood, and I remember the inspiration they gave me to pursue a career in astronomy,” Dr George explains.
“One of my favourite activities as a child was being taken by my father to the State Library of Tasmania in Hobart, and I recall being fascinated by the storytelling taking place there.”
NSS is a fun, free and vibrant event that encourages families to read with their children and encourage a love of reading. Last year, more than 1,297,000 participants at more than 14,469 locations joined the fun.
For more information, or to join this space-age event, go to Eventbrite and search ‘NSS Libraries Tasmania’ – or simply call your local library.
Can’t get to the live-streamed reading at a library? Go to the ALIA website to hold your own National Simultaneous Storytime!
Communications and Marketing