Happy International Literacy Day!!
September 8, 2020 at 2:47 pm | Posted in children's education, children's literacy, Room to Read | Leave a commentTags: Benefits of reading, International Literacy Day, Room to Read, Room To Read Writer Ambassador, World peace
Hello my friends, today is International Literacy Day! Here’s what my wonderful friends at Room to Read have to say:
Books are the gifts that never stop giving: to our minds, our hearts and our souls. They make us informed, wise, creative and above all, happy! They are the keys to a wonderful future. But some children – especially girls – never learn to read, and this can only lead to a tragic outcome. Not just for the children themselves (and for them, being unable to read means that they will never be able to lead a happy or successful life), but also for all of us. For we can only have a peaceful, stable, healthy world when everyone holds the keys to happiness and success.
So how to achieve this? It’s easy! Just click here with Mum or Dad to read more about the hugely important work of RoomtoRead, for which I am very honoured to be a Writer Ambassador. And please give as much as you can afford on this wonderful International Literacy Day.
Thank you Bookazine for a fabulous Hong Kong event!
January 21, 2020 at 2:42 pm | Posted in Book signings, Bookazine Princes Building, Chinese New Year, Hong Kong events, Room to Read | Leave a commentTags: Bookazine Princes Building, Boxed Set of Chinese Calendar Tales, Centricity Hong Kong, Room to Read, The Chinese Calendar Tales, The Tale of Run Run Rat
A big THANK YOU to Bookazine for hosting a fabulous event last Saturday to celebrate the upcoming Year of the Rat – and our wonderful city of Hong Kong – at the beautiful Centricity in Central! A huge bunch of kids, mums and dads came along to hear three fantastic Hong Kong story readings from three fabulous Hong Kong authors, and take part in some fun Chinese New Year activities! They even got to meet Geronimo Stilton!
![IMG_1007[1]](https://sarahbrennanblog.files.wordpress.com/2020/01/img_10071.jpg)
Of course we had to celebrate the 12th Birthday of The Tale of Run Run Rat, the very first of the Chinese Calendar Tales, which even outsold Harry Potter for 6 weeks in Hong Kong when it was released in 2008! Here I am, above, reading the story to the audience. We had a lot of fun following Run Run from his humble Chinese village all around China to the Olympics Marathon in Beijing!
Then everyone trooped into the activity room to make my rather tricky Rat Mask – I was SO impressed with all the masks the kids made, with a little bit of help from their parents! I think the mums and dads especially had a lot of fun! I’ll be posting details shortly, so you can make the mask too!
After that, Karen Jane Ho and Jessamy Woolley gave two fabulously entertaining story readings – and trips around Hong Kong’s special places – with their beautiful books Emi Takes Hong Kong and Billy the Cavalier and Friends. And then everyone made some gorgeous Chinese New Year decorations…and played Hong Kong Bingo!
Thank you again to Arti and Shonee Mirchandani of Bookazine, their events manager Clemence Robine, and of course Mrs Mirchandani with her steadfast support! Here we are below:
And thank you to all the lovely fans who came up to say hello and get their books signed afterwards!
And last but not least, thank you to my dear friend Jennie Orchard, of my favourite children’s literacy charity Room to Read, who came along to support us all. Here we are below with my beautiful Boxed Set of Chinese Calendar Tales.
We all had a wonderful afternoon!
Fabulous news for 60 girls for 2019!
December 19, 2019 at 7:38 am | Posted in Australian schools, children's literacy, girls' education, Room to Read | Leave a commentTags: Australian authors, Room To Read Writer Ambassador
Photos courtesy of https://www.roomtoread.org/literacy-girls-education/
Wow! The Australian Writer-Ambassador team (of which I’m a very proud member) for Room to Read has had another successful year and thanks to the support of Aussie students, teachers and parents, it has EXCEEDED its goal once again! This year it has raised AUD$22,066 which is enough to educate 60 girls for a year and support them on their way to a brighter future!
Next year, 2020, is the very special 20th Anniversary year for Room to Read. If you want to help make it the year that changed everything for girls – and boys – around the world who desperately need an education, just click on the link here and see what you can do to contribute!
Meet some me and some Famous Big Girls this Sunday at Bookazine Princes Building!
October 16, 2019 at 6:48 am | Posted in Bookshop event, girls' education, Hong Kong events, Room to Read | Leave a commentTags: Agatha Christie, Amelia Earhart, Bookazine Princes Building, Frida Kahlo, International Day of the Girl, Marie Curie, Room to Read
For everyone who loves GIRLS WHO MAKE A DIFFERENCE – and that means all of us, everywhere, young and old, girl or boy, mum or dad, family or friend – this Sunday is a very special day!
Yes, it’s the International Day of the Girl and fabulous Hong Kong bookstore Bookazine is celebrating with a fantastic FREE event from 10am to 12noon at their Princes Building Store!
And there will be some very famous ladies represented there! No less than Amelia Earhart, Agatha Christie, Marie Curie and Frida Kahlo, each of whom have made huge contributions to the worlds of aviation, writing, science and the arts respectively!
And yes, you’ll see me all dressed up as Agatha Christie, one of my favourite mystery authors of all time, as I tell you a little about her life and work! (You’ll also see three other real life inspirational Hong Kong women colleagues, all leaders in their fields!)
I can’t wait to see you there! But remember to email the link here to RSVP to reserve your place!
And if you want to support girls’ education and literacy to give them the very best start in life, just click on this link to find out more about international charity Room to Read, for whom I am a very proud Writer Ambassador!
The Chinese Calendar Tales in a Quilt!
August 19, 2019 at 5:32 pm | Posted in Chinese Calendar Tales, Room to Read | Leave a commentTags: Students Helping Students, The Chinese Calendar Tales, World Change Challenge
This afternoon I was so excited to collect my very own Chinese Calendar Tales quilt!! My dear friend Jodi Mullen is not only the Students Helping Students Team Leader for my favourite children’s literacy charity Room to Read but is also a very talented quilt-maker! So I asked Jodi if she could make me a quilt featuring all the Chinese Calendar Tales beasties, and here it is! Isn’t it wonderful?
Jodi has very generously donated my payment for the quilt to the Room to Read World Change Challenge. If you’d like to find out more about this fantastic fund-raising challenge to educate girls just click on this link!
Thank you Jodi!!
Making the world a kinder, safer place
March 19, 2019 at 2:41 pm | Posted in children's education, girls' education, Room to Read | Leave a commentTags: children's literacy, Girls' literacy, Global Literacy, Room to Read, Room To Read Writer Ambassador
We all want the world to be a kinder, safer place. And the most effective, most permanent way to achieve that is bringing literacy and education to children. That’s why I’m so proud of being a Writer Ambassador for Room to Read.
Just take a look at the fantastic 2018, Room to Read Year in Review and 2019, Room to Read global fact sheet ! You’ll see just how effective Room to Read has been in lifting children, especially girls, out of illiteracy and into a world of opportunity and possibilities by the end of 2018 – which means that we will all be happier and safer in the future!
If you’re a kid reading this post, please show it to your Mum and Dad. And if you’re a Mum or Dad, please take a look here to find out what you and your family can do to help this fundamentally important cause.
Hooray for the Room to Read Writer Ambassadors!
December 19, 2018 at 10:38 am | Posted in Australian schools, children's literacy, girls' education, Room to Read | Leave a commentTags: Room To Read Writer Ambassador, Tristan Bancks
Photo Credit: https://give.roomtoread.org/team/155100
Wow – what happy news from team leader Jodi Mullen today! The Room to Read Writer Ambassador Team (of which I am a very proud member along with Tristan Bancks and 22 other fabulous Australian children’s authors) has achieved its goal and EXCEEDED it!
With the support of many wonderful schools, teachers and parents we have exceeded our target of AU$18,250 and reached AU$21,003! So instead of the target of 50 girls, now 57 girls will be able to attend secondary school in 2019 who previously had no opportunity to travel this important route out of poverty! You can read more here.
YAY TEAM!!!
Give children the most precious gift of all – today and Wednesday only!
November 27, 2018 at 2:25 pm | Posted in children's literacy, Room to Read | Leave a commentTags: Giving Tuesday, Room to Read, Sensato
How is all that Christmas shopping going? Have you finished your list for the kids? I’m quite sure they’re going to be spoiled rotten again! I HOPE you’re getting them lots of fabulous books this year, to keep them happy and entertained, and above all, to keep their brains in fantastic shape!
But what about the kids who aren’t as lucky as yours, who don’t have access to books and who can’t even read?
I just LOVE being a writer ambassador for my favourite charity, Room to Read, because it makes wonderful futures possible for children all over the world who might otherwise have a very bleak future indeed – and who almost certainly won’t be getting Christmas gifts this year.
So what can you give them? You will be so excited to find out here!
So today, if you can spare a moment, and a dollar or two, for the kiddies that won’t be waking up in your house this Christmas to bulging Christmas stockings, please give on the link above, and Room to Read’s partner Sensato, will TRIPLE your gift!
Happy Tuesday Giving Day!
Meeting the wonderful Jung Chang
November 10, 2017 at 12:41 pm | Posted in Being an Author, children's literacy, Literary Festivals, Room to Read | Leave a commentTags: Hong Kong International Literary Festival, Jung Chang, Room to Read
On Wednesday I was lucky enough to meet the wonderful Jung Chang, author of Wild Swans and other extraordinary books about China, at the luncheon in her honour (and in honour of Erin Ganju of Room To Read) hosted jointly by the Hong Kong Literary Festival and Room to Read at the China Club in Hong Kong. Jung spoke with passion about her experiences as a child growing up in China, then later as a best-selling author in London, and the large crowd was simply mesmerised by her eloquence and dignity. And before Jung’s talk, Erin Ganju spoke of the essential work of Room to Read in developing countries in bringing literacy to literally millions of children, especially girls. Read more about their tireless work here. A big thank you to my friend Jennie Orchard of Room To Read for inviting me!
It’s World Literacy Day!!
September 8, 2017 at 6:30 pm | Posted in children's literacy, Room to Read | Leave a commentTags: Room to Read, World Literacy Day 2017, Writer Ambassador
Hooray for Room To Read on World Literacy Day 2017! I’m so honoured to be a Writer Ambassador for an organisation which has been responsible for giving millions of children (especially girls) the gift of literacy! Take a look here here to see just some of the extraordinary Room to Read projects currently underway around the world! And if you want to support their wonderful work, you can donate or sign up here. here!
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