Reading Matters

Sydney media cadet 10-year-old Saviru produces an excellent special on ‘The Power of Words’ with special guest, multi-award-winning author Ursula Dubosarksy. Angelina, April, and Saviru chat with Ursula about her super-popular titles ‘The Word Spy and ‘The Return of the Word Spy,’ and the show’s executive producer, Viarnne Mischon, talks with the team about using empowering speech and shares some...

Angelina and April celebrate both National Threatened Species Day and International Literacy Week with a totally packed Reading Matters Special featuring the one-and-only Jackie French, AM, whose new release ‘All Aboard’ is out now. Plus, Sarah caught up with UK author Alex Field when she was in Sydney for Book Week to find out about her new ‘Ava Sparks’ series, and the team spoke with Wonder Eart...

Avin and Angelina celebrate Book Week 2025 with a Reading Matters Special featuring Book Week Ambassador author/illustrator Jess McGeachin, Reading Out Of Poverty Program Coordinator Cassie Angelatos, and CBCA Victoria President, Jo Pentony.

Christian welcomes guest co-host 9-year-old Gabriel to celebrate this year’s Indigenous Literacy Day Special, where 3 special guests share their knowledge, passion, and dedication for storytelling and preserving languages – astrophysicist Dr Kirsten Banks, author and illustrator Mia Speed, and Cindy Manfong, Publishing Projects Editor at the Indigenous Literacy Foundation!

Christian and Christiana are joined in the studio by special guest, author and Vice President of Children's Book Council of Australia (Vic) , Karys McEwen , who talks about her latest title THE PAPERBARK TREE COMMITTEE, plus author/illustrator James Foley Books chats about his latest release BIGFOOT VS YETI: A LOVE STORY.

For this edition of Reading Matters, 13-year-old media cadet April produces her first 1-hour Special, featuring award-winning author and editor Karen Comer, primary teacher and phonics expert Rhiannon Rowe, Head of English across all 6 junior school campus of Haileybury. Plus, April, Iris, Tara, and Karen also speak with author Karys McEwen, Vice President of the Victorian branch of the CBCA, abou...

In this awesome packed-to-the-max The Indigenous Literacy Foundation Day 2024 Special, Reka and Tara speak with ILF Ambassador Shelley Ware about the big Indigenous Literacy Day event at the Sydney Opera House in 2024 - a celebration with stories and songs from remote Communities, including 3 book launches, supported by a star-studded teamof ILF Ambassadors, including Bianca Hunt, Justine Clarke ,...

Christian and Christiana are joined in the studio by special guest, author and Vice President of Children's Book Council of Australia (Vic) , Karys McEwen who talks about her latest title THE PAPERBARK TREE COMMITTEE, plus author/illustrator James Foley Books chats about his latest release BIGFOOT VS YETI: A LOVE STORY.

Caitlin, Erin, and Quinn chat with two author illustrators whose books were shortlisted for the Global Children’s Entertainment Awards Picture Book of the Year 2023 – Kelly Canby (Timeless) and Alice Oehr (Artichoke to Zucchini) plus the team play the full version of ‘The Legend of Okatia’ by the Kars, NewZealand, which won Audio Story of the Year.

For this AWESOME Australia Reading Hour Special Reka, Gabby and Tara chat with Reading Matters returning guest, bestselling children's author Sally Rippin , plus welcome to the show illustrator Chris Kennett  and Real Pigeons author Andrew McDonald & illustrator Ben Wood Illustrator . It's a total HOOT of a show worth cooing about! Sally, Chris, Andrew and Ben will be appearing at The Mag...

Reka, Kirri & Luke speak with Australia Reads Ambassador #astrophysicist Professor Lisa Harvey-Smith about her latest titles including 'Little book Big Universe', as well as the great line-up for 2021 Australian Reading Hour. (Includes snippet of 'Page 9' audio story - see https://www.musicmatters.org.au/story-time/ for full list list of stories.) https://australiareads.org.au/ https://lisahar...

Reka and Kirri celebrate Indigenous Literacy Day 2021 with ILF Ambassadors, artist, author and musician Greg Dreise in Queensland and TV/radio personality and educator Shelley Ware in Melbourne, plus the team cross to Katherine in the NT to chat with ILF Regional Program Manager Josie Lardy to find out about the awesome Indigenous Literacy Day / Week online events and programs available for school...

Hosted by Ahelee, Reka, Luke & Lucy - Primary Perspectives celebrates National NAIDOC Week 2021 with this awesome Indigenous Literacy Foundation Reading Matters Special, featuring ILF Lifetime Ambassador Andy Griffiths and Stick Mob young graphic novelists & illustrators Lauren Boyle from Adelaide and Alyssa Mason, Declan Miller & Seraphina Newberry from Alice Springs. These amazingly talented you...

Reka & Kirri welcome multi-award winning author/illustrator Philip Bunting and award winning author & podcaster Nat Amoore, whose books are shortlisted in 2020 the Wilderness Society Environment Awards for Children’s Literature. Plus for this month’s Shelftalker reviews, Christian reviews Nat’s book ‘The Right Way to Rock’ and Kirri reviews Philip’s books 'Give Me Some Space' and 'The Wonderful Wi...

Reka and Ginger welcome YABBA President Michelle Nye to the studio as special guest host for this debut R.E.A.L. Awards Special, featuring fabulous interviews with multi-award winning children and YA authors, Andy Griffiths, Jacqueline Harvey, Deborah Abela and Tristan Bancks! Check out this great podcast to find out about the YABBA, Koala and KROC Awards and how to nominate and vote for these imp...

Ahelee, Evie and Reka welcome multi-award winning children's author and 2020/21 Australian Children’s Laureate, Ursula Dubosarsky back to the show for this awesome debut Reading Matters ACLF Special, which also features writer and journalist Kristin Darell, Program Manager of the Australian Children’s Laureate Foundation, and Paul Macdonald, Publisher from Book Trail Press and Owner of The Childre...

Miani, Reka and Sarah chat with ex-police officer and paramedic turned full time mum and writer, Fleur Ferris. Fleur's first four YA books - Risk, Black, Wreck and Found, have earned a significant amount of awards and recognition nationwide, including the Davitt Best Young Adult Crime Novel 2016, Davitt Best Debut Crime Book 2016, Australian Family Therapists’ Award for Children’s Literature and Y...

MEET SOME MORE OF THE A-Z OF WONDERFUL CHARACTERS illustrated by Myke Mollard from 'An Antechinus in the Attic'! In part 2 part of 'An Antechinus in the Attic' Special, hosts Miani and Julian Byron D'dingo (Broden) from Bilby Creek speak with featured guest endangered species scientist Dr Rochelle Steven from the Threatened Species Recovery Hub and Jess Pinder from The Jane Goodall Institute Austr...

In part 1 of the 2 part Reading Matters 'An Antechinus in the Attic' Special, hosts Miani and Julian Byron D'dingo (Broden) from Bilby Creek speak with renowned, multi-award winning theatre director Gary Young, who is the bestselling children's author/illustrator of the 'More than Two' Series of Collective Nouns. In this humourous special, filled with many of the characters from the soon to be rel...

Esme, Reka and Sarah welcome new team mate Ssanyu from USA and the girls chat with new children's author Rick Foster, who has self-published the picture book 'Why Worry Wally' (illustrated by Jackie Case) to support children in coping with anxiety. For over 25 years Rick Foster forged an award winning career as a successful copywriter - creating compelling stories and messages that connected with...

Listen to Primary Perspectives AWESOME 2019 Australian Reading Hour Special, hosted by Felix, Michaela & Reka and featuring ALL 5 Australian Read Hour Children's Ambassadors - authors Sally Rippin, The Wiggles Anthony Field AM, Karen Manbulloo (reading a snippet of her book Moli det Bigibigi​ in Kriol), Mick Elliott & Matt Stanton (who speaks about the Sydney Opera House digital classroom for stud...

Jojo, Miani, Sarah and Zoe were thrilled to welcome world renowned author Morris Gleitzman as their special guest for part 2 of the Reading Matters Melbourne Writers Festival Special. Morris Gleitzman is one of Australia’s most successful and award winning writers, both internationally and at home, whose children’s books explore serious and sometimes confronting subjects in funny and unexpected wa...

For Primary Perspectives Reading Matters annual Sydney Writer's Festival Special 2018 Miani and Reka chat with award winning, bestselling YA author Kirsty Eager, whose debut novel, Raw Blue, won the Victorian Premier’s Literary Award for Young Adult fiction – which is a pretty fabulous result for a first novel! Follow up novels, Saltwater Vampires and Night Beach, were shortlisted for numerous lit...

For Primary Perspectives Reading Matters annual Sydney Writer's Festival Special 2018 Miani and Reka chat with multi-award winning, bestselling YA author Randa Abdel-Fattah, who was born in Sydney, Australia of Palestinian and Egyptian heritage. She grew up in Melbourne and attended a Catholic primary school and Islamic secondary college, obtaining an International Baccalaureate. Randa has had a l...

For Primary Perspectives Reading Matters annual Sydney Writer's Festival Special 2018 Miani and Reka chat with special guest, Clare Sawyer, Head of Children’s and Young Adult Program for the Festival and Clare gives a run down of all the fabulous events and authors that are taking part in the Children’s and Young Adult Program this year, like Diary of a Wimpy Kid’s Jeff Kinney and immediate past A...