reading | Western Downs Libraries

Mar, 2020

It is never too early to read to your baby

By: dalbywordpress | Tags: Babies, baby, books, children, children's books, dalby library, Early Literacy, family, kids, literacy, read, reading, storytime | Comments: 0

In the first years of life, your child’s brain develops faster than at any other stage. During this time, the simple things you do together each day can have an enormous impact. Even though your baby isn’t reading yet, sharing books and reading stories is such a valuable way to develop your baby’s pre-literacy and language skills. It is important to familiarise your child with how a storybook works, the beginning, the end, and how text reads from left to right. Tips for reading to your baby Choose a book […]

Feb, 2020

Debut Australian Authors

By: dalbywordpress | Tags: Australiana, author, books, dalby library, great reads, Historical fiction, New Releases, reading | Comments: 0

Sink your teeth into one of these debut novels from Australian authors! We highly recommend: Beneath the mother tree “Beneath the Mother Tree plays out in a unique and wild Australian setting, interweaving Indigenous history and Irish mythology.” Sign “A captivating novel full of strength, courage and the struggle to overcome silence.” The Van Apfel Girls are gone “Blackly comic, sharply observed and observed and wonderfully endearing, this is Picnic at Hanging Rock for a new generation. A haunting coming-of-age story with a shimmering, unexplained […]

Jul, 2019

What’s on Trevor’s bookshelf!

By: Janette Quince | Tags: children, dalby, dalby library, Early Literacy, education, first five forever, reading, storytime, storytime for bubs, Storytime for Kids | Comments: 0

How did Trevor get so clever? Well he reads books – lots of books. His favourite non-fiction book is The Big Book of Tricks for the Best Dog Ever by Larry Kay and Chris Perondi and Teach My Dog to do That by Jo-Rosie Haffenden. He also loves the book Lucky Dog Lessons by Brandon McMillan and Dog Training 101 by Kyra Sundance. Trevor also loves picture books and his favourite ones are the Pig the Pug series – yes, he is named after Pig’s best friend. Trevor also loves […]

Jun, 2019

What were Australian’s Reading in the Victorian Era?

By: dalbywordpress | Tags: australian history, books, History, libraries, literature, public libraries, reading, reading habits | Comments: 0

Whilst reading The Guardian Australia our library team came across a very interesting article. The Australian National University has conducted a study analysing the borrowing habits from a selection of Australian libraries between 1861 and 1928. They have a created a entire database where you can filter Australian reading habits by age, occupation, gender, and library. The data found that males were the predominant borrowers, mining the biggest occupation, and that fiction vastly outweighed non-fiction in borrowing choices. Quite a few of the popular titles are still in circulation in […]

Mar, 2019

Your Library At Home

By: dalbywordpress | Tags: books, borrow box, Digital, eaudiobooks, ebooks, elibrary, home services, ipad, library, magazines, mobile, online, rb digital, reading, storbox, tablet | Comments: 0

Did you know you can borrow and read our books without even visiting the library? Western Downs Libraries is subscribed a number of eLibrary apps so that all you need to get started is your library card! Simply download the BorrowBox app on any Android or Apple-made device, enter your library ID, and PIN and you’ll have access to a huge range of eBooks and eAudiobooks! If you love magazines and Audio-books sign up online to our RBdigital App and you’ll have access to eAudiobooks and eMagazines. For the children we have […]

Feb, 2019

Let’s talk about Conversational Reading

By: dalbywordpress | Tags: books, dalby, dalby library, education, family, first five forever, reading, storytime | Comments: 0

Children are actively involved in conversation reading. Conversational reading goes back-and-forth. The child does not always have to talk in the “conversation”. He can take part by looking and by pointing. Ask your child to respond on three levels – See, Show and Say. Step 1: See – watch your baby’s eyes. Does she look where you point? Name anything your child sees or touches in the book. Say the key word first. Then, point to and name pictures or words your child is not looking at. Point to lots […]

Feb, 2019

The Lost Man – Jane Harper’s new release her best yet

By: dalbywordpress | Tags: australia, Australiana, Book, books, crime, Jane Harper, library, mystery, outback, reading, relationships, review | Comments: 0

Jane Harper has provided the Australian Mystery & Crime genre with another fantastic story set in the very heart of the outback. Based on a fictional outback station near, a town strikingly similar to Birdsville, two brothers attempt to come to grips with the unusual death of their third brother, and attempt to unearth how it this tragedy occurred. Their brother Cam has been found dead beneath an old stockman’s grave at an isolated spot on the 30,000 acre property. His brother Lee, already an outcast from the closest town, […]

Nov, 2018

Silence can be deafening

By: dalbywordpress | Tags: books, dalby library, great reads, New Releases, patriarchy, reading, women | Comments: 0

“Jean McClellan spends her time in almost complete silence, limited to just one hundred words a day. Any more, and a thousand volts of electricity will course through her veins. Now the new government is in power, everything has changed. But only if you’re a woman. Almost overnight, bank accounts are frozen, passports are taken away and seventy million women lose their jobs. Even more terrifyingly, young girls are no longer taught to read or write.” Vox is the debut novel by Christina Dalcher and a great book to read […]

Nov, 2018

Milkman takes the prize

By: dalbywordpress | Tags: author, dalby library, great reads, reading | Comments: 0

“A novel that is at once unlocated and profoundly tethered to place is surely a novel for our times.” Milkman is a tale of gossip and hearsay, silence and deliberate deafness; a story of inaction with enormous consequences and decisions that are never made, but for which people are judged and punished. It is the 2018 winner of the Man Booker prize. Set in a society divided against itself, Milkman explores the insidious forms oppression can take in everyday life. Middle sister is the protagonist and we follow her as she navigates her way through […]

Aug, 2018

Solving problems through books: Bibliotherapy

By: dalbywordpress | Tags: books, dalby library, Early Literacy, education, family, first five forever, reading, storytime, Storytime for Toddlers | Comments: 0

Reading can and often does serve as a tool for personal growth and adjustment. Reading frequently helps the reader to accept himself for what he is, to obtain insights into his own problems, and to evaluate his own strengths and weaknesses. Almost everyone has to face some personal problems. These range from the trivial distress caused by straight or unkept hair to the tragic loss of hearing or eyesight. There are a myriad of problems that may be an issue for your child. Perhaps through reading about problems that children […]