The Big Book Club Inc. (TBBC Inc.) was established in South Australia in 2003 as a not-for-profit organisation to “promote reading, the discussion of books and the promotion of Australian authors and illustrators”.  Since its inception, TBBC Inc. has become a leading provider of quality, inclusive programs designed to promote reading.

With the support of a professional Board and a team of passionate and highly skilled staff, TBBC Inc. continues to develop and implement comprehensive programs under The Little Big Book Club  (LBBC) for parents/carers and the early childhood sector and The Big Book Club for readers aged 18 years and over.

TBBC Inc.’s success in developing products, resources and delivering highly successful programs lies in working collaboratively with carefully selected partners who recognise the importance of literacy, both for community wellbeing and for giving children a good start in life. 

Whilst first launched in South Australia, TBBC Inc. now has partnerships and early childhood products and resources in all states and territories. 

To promote the love of reading and importance of reading to children from infancy/birth and actively encourage parents in providing their children with a strong foundation for lifelong literacy, success in formal schooling and improved life chances.

Objectives

• To increase awareness of the importance of reading aloud to children from infancy

• To encourage parents/carers to read regularly to their young children
• To encourage parents/carers to visit and join their local public library
• To encourage the establishment of home libraries
• To improve children’s emergent literacy skills prior to entering formal education
• To encourage parents/carers to engage in conversation with their children to assist in the development of language and comprehension skills

• To develop a lifelong love of books and reading.

Early childhood providers and practitioners have known for some years that children need to be introduced to books and reading at the earliest possible age, well before they start school.   Children learn more in their first five years than at any other time in their lives and the first two years are critical for language and spatial development.

Reading aloud to young children has a positive impact on language development, specifically the value of shared reading and print exposure has consistently been found to foster vocabulary development in children prior to school entry.  Early experiences of this nature provide important stimulation to the developing brain, which is thought to foster later academic achievement and an increased likelihood of success in acquiring language and literacy. Centre for Community Child Health (2004) Let’s Read Literature Review

South Australian Flagship Program

LBBC is currently in its fifth year of providing 22,000 FREE It's Story Time Reading packs to SA families with a funding commitment until 2013 from the State Government of South Australia. This funding enables LBBC to continue its integrated approach to lifelong learning and reading for children in SA.

LBBC’s It's Story Time Reading pack is the first engagement point with parents and carers. The ongoing development of the child’s literacy skills is paramount, particularly in the first 5 years which is why each month families across Australia have access to a book selections program to support them in reading regularly with their children.

National Program

The It's Story Time Monthly Book Selection program provides a constant source of engagement with parents, carers and the early childhood sector every month.  The program is broken into 3 age brackets:  0-2 year olds, 2&3 year olds and 4&5 year olds; and includes age appropriate book recommendations, newspaper editorial and advertising, activity time and learning time downloads, online e-books and games and many other age appropriate resources. Since the program launched in 2006, LBBC has featured over 234 recommended titles for babies, toddlers and preschoolers and these titles and hundreds more can all be found on our website for you to review.

Related Programs  

Early Childhood Products

LBBC in conjunction with its team of early childhood professionals has developed a range of age specific products that focus on reinforcing the importance and benefits of reading aloud and sharing rhymes, songs and conversation with young children. The complete range of quality products are designed to support those working in library and early childhood environments and are available for sale through LBBC’s website. Some of our most popular products include It’s Rhyme Time, It’s Bed Time and It’s a b c Time.

Professional Development

LBBC in conjunction with the Public Library Service of SA and Associate Professor. Susan Hill, University of South Australia - Early Childhood Education developed the ‘Building Literacy Before School Training and Development Program’ to support those working in libraries and early childhood.  A second module including more hands on activities is currently being developed by LBBC’s Program Manager.

Resource File

LBBC’s Resource File was introduced to support child care centres in providing children in their care with language and literacy enriched environments. The Resource File is available for care providers to purchase as a once off cost, thereafter LBBC will provide learning time and information sheets to add to the Resource File free each month as part of the It’s Story Time Monthly Book Selection program.

Promotional Materials

Sitting under the It's Story Time Monthly Book Selection program,  libraries, childcare centres, preschools, playgroups and kindergartens have access to attractive posters, banners, stickers, flyers and brochures to display to the families who use their services.  These materials display book information for 0-2 year olds, 2&3 year olds and 4&5 year olds to help parents select age appropriate stories for their children. In SA as part of the It’s Story Time Free Reading packs, SA libraries are given specific promotional materials for display and use within their libraries to give parents and carers in the community clear guidance on what to read, when to read and the appropriate stories for a child’s age and development.

Multilingual e-Picture Books

Working with publishers, authors/illustrators and e-book provider Katalyst, LBBC developed a series of e-Books that can be read and enjoyed for free on our website. The books include: Cat by Mike Dumbleton & Craig Smith, Boom Bah! by Phil Cummings & Nina Rycroft and  The Terrible Plop by Ursula Dubosarsky & Andrew Joyner. The e-Books are widely used in kindergartens and preschools throughout Australia and are compatible with school classroom smartboards.

Website

LBBC’s new website is the most comprehensive online resource for information about reading with young children and the most valuable asset to all of our programs listed above. The site contains hundreds of activities, lesson ideas and plans, scrapbook pages, stickers, posters and tips sheets that are free to download and be enjoyed by your family. It is our way of making sure that stories will keep on being told even when a book is placed back on the shelf. It is also an interactive space where you can talk with our team of early childhood experts, read our blogs and articles, get involved with a live author interview or simply chat with other visitors on our site. So please enjoy exploring our wonderful online collection of books and resources and share a story with your loved ones today.

Partners

The Little Big Book Club has been fortunate to work with an eclectic mix of organisations, libraries, charities, government departments, families and individuals since 2006.  We very much value these relationships and also support their early childhood initiatives and programs for families across the nation.  

View our partners and supporters

 
Testimonials

In January 2010, The Little Big Book Club submitted a proposal to the Australian Federal Government to fund a National Reading Development Initiative. We received overwhelming support from publishers, authors, illustrators, libraries and early childhood experts who provided us with written testimonials as part of the proposal. Read what they had to say about the intiative and the work of The Little Big Book Club.

Read our testimonials

F.A.Q

Please select the appropriate category for your query to view frequently asked questions and answers.

- Parents and Carers
- Libraries