Save the World’s Oldest Children’s Bookshop

https://www.littlebookroom.com.au/

The Little Bookroom is at a turning point. You can help to give it a new home, a new chapter, and a future that honours its extraordinary past.

Melbourne’s beloved The Little Bookroom was founded by Albert Ullin OAM in 1960. The Little Bookroom was Australia’s very first bookstore dedicated solely to children’s literature.

Over time, it has become something even rarer — a living legacy to the power of books, imagination, and community. In fact, it is now the oldest children’s bookshop in the world!

For more than six decades, it has been a haven for readers young and old, a meeting place for authors and illustrators, and a cultural treasure for Australia, and the global children’s book community.

Michael Earp writes – “I’ve dedicated my life to children’s and young adult literature. I was The Little Bookroom manager from 2018–2022, and in 2021 I was awarded the Bookseller of the Year by Book People (the Australian Booksellers Association). I believe this beautiful bookshop deserves to celebrate its 65th birthday — and many more to come.”

Quote
This children’s bookstore has weathered many moves
and challenges over the years.
Most recently, the pandemic and personal circumstances.
The incredible Lambert family
who cared for The Little Bookroom for 17 years
made the decision to step away.
—Michael Earp—

You can step in, says Michael! The doors at St Georges Road have closed but this doesn’t have to be the end.

To make a bright book future happen, you and GoFundMe can help:
Link https://gofund.me/98a13b4f
Info: https://www.theurbanlist.com/melbourne/directory/little-bookroom-degraves

Secure a new home for The Little Bookroom (location to be announced soon!)
Fit out the new space with shelving, technology, and event essentials.
Ensure accessibility so all families and readers feel welcome.
Reopen with strong, diverse book stock from day one.
Host the storytimes, launches, book clubs, and school services that make The Little Bookroom a vital part of the community.

Share in the joy of knowing you’ve helped save a piece of children’s literary history! I can see children sitting reading, totally absorbed in their books.

Michael Earp continues: “As a non-binary writer and bookseller living in Naarm/Melbourne, Australia, with over 23 years experience in bookselling and publishing as a Children’s Book specialist. I’ve worked with publishers like Walker Books and Affirm Press, and bookstores including Kinokuniya, Borders, The Younger Sun, and (of course) The Little Bookroom.“

Also, Michael hold a Masters in Children’s Literature and a Bachelors degree in Early Childhood Education, and is currently Chair of the Board for Q-Lit, Victoria’s Queer Literature Festival. Also the editor and contributor to Everything Under the Moon: Fairy tales in a queerer light; Kindred: 12 Queer #LoveOzYA Stories; and Avast! Pirate Stories by Transgender Authors, co-edited by Alison Evans.

Michael passionately believes in creating spaces where every child can see themselves in the stories they read, and adds “I’m not asking for help with ongoing costs. I’m asking for a launchpad — a chance to give The Little Bookroom the future it deserves.”

If every person who has fond memories of the St Georges Rd, Fitzroy North bookstore, who believes in the importance of children’s literature or who wants to see this cultural landmark continue — if every one of you gives even a little — it can live on!

Let’s write the next chapter together.
Donate. Share. Spread the word. https://gofund.me/98a13b4f

All donations will be received by Michael Earp and used to cover costs involved with the moving and set up of The Little Bookroom in a new location so that the shop has the best chance of a long future.
I have donated. The more raised by this GoFundMe the more it will reduce the amount of money needed to borrow. Therefore, the new shop can open on a solid foundation and focus on thriving into a wonderful reading future.

Books Rule! 📚💗 Edited by Gretchen Bernet-Ward 2025

*So Many Books!* Artwork illustrator Tomislav Tomic https://tomislavtomic.com/

Note: No raffles, sweepstakes, giveaways, or returns on investment are offered in exchange for any donations made to this GoFundMe.
Link: https://gofund.me/98a13b4f

Catalonia ‘Sant Jordi Day’ Books Roses and Love

Planning an overseas holiday? This looks perfect for book lovers!

A yearly event: The Day of Books and Roses will be celebrated in Catalonia, Spain on Wednesday 23rd April 2025. This day is traditionally known as Diada de Sant Jordi (Saint George’s Day) in Catalan. On this special day, love and literature are celebrated throughout Catalonia, and books and roses are exchanged. In Catalonia on 23rd April 2016 more than 1,580,000 copies of 45,267 book titles were sold, and a percentage of those were in the Catalan language.

Always learning: This is a part of the world I have never visited and I had no knowledge of this beautiful celebration. Catalan’s Sant Jordi Day really is commemorated with books, roses and love. Since 1997 the official slogan of the day has been ‘A rose for a love, and a book forever’. Perfect!

Love is in the air: The rest of the world awaits Valentine’s Day to celebrate love, Catalan’s most romantic day of the year is Sant Jordi, which also coincides with World Book Day on 23rd April. A day dedicated to ‘literature and love’, and of course books and roses are the main attraction.

*‘Rose and Book’ Public Domain image by George Hodan*

Tourism: Visitors and locals can stroll through stalls full of books and red roses. You can visit any Catalan city and soak up the festival’s atmosphere in and around the city’s central streets. Librarians take their books outside and set up stalls with the latest must-reads and some old classics. Flower vendors display thousands of red roses. Both make a brisk trade. Also, there are small tables of illustrators and authors selling and signing their books. I wonder if the patisseries (la pastelería) bake cakes and pastries shaped and decorated like books?

Culture: Although being part of Spain, Catalonia’s culture is quite different. They have their traditions (such as Sant Jordi Day) public holidays, and the language is Catalan. Sant Jordi is celebrated throughout Catalonia, so no doubt where you are, you’ll find a red rose and an excellent book. Some of the older buildings are decorated with red roses, the photos look amazing!

The legend of Sant Jordi: Catalans celebrate Sant Jordi’s Day to commemorate the death of Saint George in the year 303 AD. He became the symbol of Catalonia during the 19th century when the cultural and political movement known as the Renaissance reclaimed the signs of Catalan identity.

Modern-day Geography: Catalonia comprises most of the medieval and early modern Principality of Catalonia (with the remainder northern area now part of France’s Pyrénées-Orientales). It is bordered by France (Occitanie) and Andorra to the north, the Mediterranean Sea to the east, and the Spanish autonomous communities of Aragon to the west and Valencia to the south.

World Book Day: The book tradition on this day doesn’t come from Saint George himself. It comes from the International World Book Day which started in Spain in 1923. The date coincides with the death of two world-famous writers, Spanish Miguel de Cervantes and English William Shakespeare in 1616. In 1995, UNESCO declared 23rd of April as the UNESCO World Book & Copyright Day. In 2017, a group of Catalan publishers, booksellers, florists, and other professionals presented an application to UNESCO to have the ‘Day of Books and Roses’ recognized as Intangible Heritage. Extremely special things to celebrate!

❤💐📚 Gretchen Bernet-Ward 2024

My thanks to the following websites for their information:
Information https://unexpectedcatalonia.com/sant-jordi/
About https://unexpectedcatalonia.com/about/
Catalonia trip planning: https://unexpectedcatalonia.com/catalonia-essential-guide/
Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Day_of_Books_and_Roses

Time Is… by Henry Van Dyke

Poem from Henry Van Dyke ‘Music and Other Poems’ 1904.

Time Is… © image Gretchen Bernet-Ward 2023

Henry Van Dyke (born 10 November 1852, Germantown, Pennsylvania, USA, and died 10 April 1933, Princeton, New Jersey USA) He was a Presbyterian minister, short-story writer, poet and essayist popular in the early decades of the 20th century. Van Dyke married Ellen Reid in 1891 and they had nine children.

A leading writer of his age, Henry van Dyke wrote profusely in the fields of religion, literature, diplomacy, education, nature and public service. He was an admirer of Alfred, Lord Tennyson and met him while overseas.

Van Dyke’s great love of the outdoors was a crucial part of his Christianity, and in the early twentieth century he became a conservationist speaking out for the preservation of Yellowstone. His belief in nature and religion drove his literary criticism and other writings throughout his life.

❤ Gretchen Bernet-Ward

The Archives Fine Book Collecting Prize – Open Now!

Bibliophiles and books rejoice in a heritage-listed building in the heart of Brisbane CBD. Archives Fine Books is the largest second-hand and antiquarian bookstore in Queensland, a book mine where a bit of fossicking reveals literary gold. Read their suggested online resources, browse their extensive categories, it is like an Aladdin’s cave of amazing volumes but so much better in person. Now they are adding an Australian first.

Before I begin, let me tell you a tale. When I originally discovered Archives Fine Books, the old floorboards were uneven and creaked, books were crammed on shelving which ran into the gloom and rose to the roof like canyons of dark wood. Dull lightbulbs showed thousands of dusty spines and the air felt heavy with—what? Knowledge, books jostling, words waiting? A beam of light spearing through a grimy windowpane. A flash of something around the corner.

Artwork illustrator Tomislav Tomic https://tomislavtomic.com/

I must visit again to see what has changed, if anything has changed. It was the kind of atmosphere where I felt I was not alone. I felt other people around me but nobody was there. I also had to buy something. As I walked through a myriad categories soaring high above my buzzing head, I acknowledged the need to stop and inspect a particular section. A book drew my gaze and I prised it out, knowing I would buy it. Why? Not sure, not sure to this very day, but I knew that book wanted me and I wanted it. It was purchased, slid into a paper bag, the cash register yielded my change and I swiftly exited down the stone steps to the street.

Several forays followed but soon e-books impinged my reading time. Fast forward to 2023 and I have come to my senses. I am planning to revisit, older and creakier like the floorboards of 40 Charlotte Street. I am sure a book is waiting for me. I can hear the pages rustling.

Meanwhile, have you heard of their unique book collection prize?
Read on—

The Archives Fine Book Collecting Prize:
https://www.archivesfinebooks.com.au/fine-book-collecting-prize.php

WRITE AN ESSAY | CREATE A BIBLIOGRAPHY | SHARE YOUR WISH LIST

The Archives Fine Book Collecting Prize is an occasional prize with a combined value of over $1,000 awarded for an outstanding book collection conceived of and built by a young Australian collector. The purpose of the Archives Fine Book Collecting Prize is to unearth and celebrate current book collecting passions and practices among young Australians so that every young and curious collector can play their part in invigorating existing traditions whilst they develop knowledge and build expertise.

Why a prize?

The first national book collecting prize has a combined value of more than $1,000 and includes:

A domestic return air-fare to EITHER the Melbourne Rare Books Fair (July 2024) OR The Sydney Rare Book Fair (October 2024);

A $250 voucher to spend at the Fair;

A $250 Archives Fine Books Voucher;

A one-year subscription to the Bibliographic Society of Australia and New Zealand (BSANZ);

A two-year membership with The Book Collectors’ Society of Australia (BCSA).

Why young people?

This year Archives Fine Books (Queensland) has expanded the geographical scope of their prize to be open to ALL young Australian collectors.

The impulse to celebrate young Australian collectors emerges from Archives Fine Books desire to see the whole book collecting scene in Australia grow and be invigorated. They know book collecting is usually a solitary pastime. By establishing the national prize, they hope to introduce young collectors to the existing community for inspiration and information.

Originally launched as a local prize in 2020 the inaugural
Archives Fine Book Collecting Prize was awarded to

Ms Emily Porter of Bray Park, Brisbane for her essay
‘A Horse Lover’s Library’
https://www.archivesfinebooks.com.au/pages/news/5/a-horse-lovers-library
and
Mr Timothy Roberts ran a close second with his essay
‘Love, Leather and Literature: building a collection of LGBT text resources’
https://www.archivesfinebooks.com.au/pages/news/7/leather-love-and-literature-building-a

Archives Fine Books
40 Charlotte Street
Brisbane QLD 4000
Phone +61 (07) 3221 0491
https://www.archivesfinebooks.com.au/fine-book-collecting-prize.php

To the best of their knowledge this in the first and only Australian Book Collecting Prize. They are seeking those curious young Australians who are already hunting and uncovering things they sense may have something interesting or new to tell us about ourselves and our world; and who, by their collecting foci, are preserving books and ephemeral items into the future.

Note: Entry deadline is 31^st December 2023 and the prize-winning collection will be announced in March 2024.

Visit: https://www.archivesfinebooks.com.au/fine-book-collecting-prize.php for suggested online resources.
Please read their Terms and Conditions of entry.
Information on how to apply contact Dawn Albinger

I wish I were of the age where I could enter this type of prize, but I think I am a little bit too eclectic now.
📚 Happy cataloguing!

❤ Gretchen Bernet-Ward

Brisbane Seniors Reveal U3A Secret

A WELL-KEPT SECRET!
It is not uncommon when I mention University of The Third Age to retired people, they do not know anything about this organisation and the variety of resources on offer. Guess what! U3A does not want to be a well-kept secret!

THEY WANT SENIORS
to be life-long learners and follow up that long-held wish to learn a Language, know more about Art, History, Creative Writing, how to use that Excel program on their computer and many other classes and activities from Scrabble to Healthy Living, keeping both mind and body working well—with no end-of-term exams.

U3A BRISBANE IS INVITING SENIORS
from across the greater Brisbane area to discover the benefits of lifelong learning at an Open Day on Saturday 9 September, 2023. The event will run from 9.30am to 12.30pm at its City Campus (nextdoor to Anzac Square) on the 5th floor at 232 Adelaide Street, Brisbane. There is a carpark nextdoor and the building is minutes away from BCC buses and Central Station.

President Gabrielle Power West explains:
“We are excited to welcome everyone to our Open Day.
U3A Brisbane is not just about learning, it is about fostering a sense of belonging,
creating an environment where seniors can continue to engage positively in our community.”
https://www.u3abrisbane.org.au/

UNIVERSITY OF THE THIRD AGE
The name says it all! There are over 200 branches Australia-wide: U3A Brisbane is a non-profit organisation run entirely by volunteers with a limited advertising budget. I have been attending classes for three years now and I know they are hoping to reach as many people as possible for this informative Open Day. Please tell your family and friends, carers and seniors new to Brisbane. Bring them along to discover this not-so-secret and highly accessible resource in the heart of Brisbane.

OPEN DAY OPPORTUNITIES
will be provided for visitors to—
• Explore the diverse range of courses on offer.
• Find out about the benefits of participation in U3A.
• Connect with their friendly tutors who are keen to share their knowledge in an inclusive and enjoyable learning environment.
• Discover the camaraderie that makes U3A Brisbane a thriving
community of like-minded people.

TUTOR A CLASS
U3A Brisbane is always keen to hear from people who would like to share their knowledge or passion with others.
Being a tutor can be rewarding in its own right.
If you are reading this as a current member, have you considered running a course yourself?
Do you know someone who is knowledgeable or passionate about a subject who would be prepared to share that by taking on the role of tutor/facilitator?
There will also be an opportunity at the Open Day to ask about what is involved in being a tutor and the support U3A can provide.
https://www.u3abrisbane.org.au/tutors

ALL ARE WELCOME
Admission is free. Light refreshments will be available. Please assist with catering by registering your intention to attend using this link or visit their website.

LIFT THE LID
and spread the word about U3A. Impress your grandchildren, tell them where you go to school. Let everyone in on the secret!

❤ Gretchen Bernet-Ward

It’s March – Get Set for Wales Readathon 2021

It’s March and that means Wales Readathon time! Book Jotter has launched this exciting yearly event with an eye-opening post featuring a Royal Welsh Fusiliers regimental mascot, a Great Orme goat named Fusilier Shenkin IV. You can read his life story and details on #dewithon21 in the following post… oh, and perhaps join us as we Read Wales…

♥ Gretchen Bernet-Ward

Book Jotter

DEWITHON PLANNER 2021

Dewithon is an opportunity for book bloggers around the world to discover Welsh writers and their works (fiction, non-fiction, poetry, plays, in fact anything written in English or Welsh with links to the nation of Wales).

We will begin our 31 days of celebration on Monday 1st March 2021 (St. David’s Day), with an official page appearing thereafter to display all your Dewithon-related posts. There are plenty of useful links and reading suggestions at DHQ (Dewithon Headquarters) and in our Wales Readathon Library, but please do not hesitate to ask for help if you are struggling to get started. You are free to read and write on any literary subject relating to Wales, so please dechrau darllen (start reading)!

Dewithon With a Difference

It became apparent quite recently that some members of our global book blogging community were having difficulties obtaining certain UK…

View original post 610 more words

‘Ode to the Cat’ by Pablo Neruda

IMG_20200706_185218 — Rescue cat JoJo does not want to sleep © Gretchen Bernet-Ward

EXTRACT FROM ‘ODE TO THE CAT’

by Pablo Neruda

… Oh independent wild beast

of the house

arrogant

vestige of the night,

lazy, gymnastic

and alien,

very deep cat,

secret policeman

of bedrooms,

insignia

of a

disappeared velvet,

surely there is no

enigma

in your manner,

perhaps you are not a mystery,

everyone knows of you

and you belong

to the least mysterious inhabitant,

perhaps everyone believes it,

everyone believes himself the owner,

proprietor,

uncle

of a cat,

companion,

colleague,

disciple

or friend

of his cat …

READ THE FULL POEM

https://www.librarything.com/topic/26410
Listed Number 8 but originally from ‘Odes to Common Things’ by poet Pablo Neruda

There are several different translations from Chilean Spanish to English:
https://leonarddurso.com/2013/07/22/from-ode-to-a-cat-by-pablo-neruda/
http://unmasking.tripod.com/poemless/pn20.htm
https://amiracarluccio.com/2017/10/19/long-poems-ode-to-a-cat-by-pablo-neruda-oda-al-gato/
https://www.poemhunter.com/poem/ode-to-the-cat/

PROFILE

Pablo Neruda (1904–1973) born Parral, Chile.
Attended Chile University and became a poet, politician, activist, diplomat.
National Prize for Literature Chile (1945)
International Peace Prize (1950)
Lenin Peace Prize (1953)
American Academy of Arts and Letters (Foreign Honorary ∙ Literature ∙ 1968)
Nobel Prize in Literature (1971)
Golden Wreath (1972)

He was perhaps the most important Latin American poet of the 20th century and for a deeper look at his intriguing life I recommend https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Pablo_Neruda

‘AS EVERY CAT OWNER KNOWS, NOBODY OWNS A CAT’ — Ellen Perry Berkeley

♥ Gretchen Bernet-Ward

Beware of Monotony

Park Walk (15) — Edith Wharton (1862-1937) was born into a tightly controlled society at a time when women were discouraged from achieving anything beyond a proper marriage. Wharton broke through these strictures to become one of America’s greatest writers https://www.edithwharton.org/discover/edith-wharton/

♥ Gretchen Bernet-Ward

Reading Hour – One Lousy Hour!

How pathetic! We have 24 glorious hours in a day and only one is chosen! And it’s not even held simultaneously around the country! Have you read your one hour today?

This year Australian Reading Hour falls on Thursday 20 September 2018 and the nominal time in the evening is 6pm to 7pm. But individual reading and group reads will be happening all day to avoid important sporting fixtures, special events and venue opening hours, and to accommodate the different time zones in Australia.

Fair enough, however, it’s still one lousy hour! What is the Australian Reading Hour committee thinking? There are 8760 hours in one year, so use some more of them.

If more hours aren’t forthcoming next year, why not (1) disrupt your sporting fixtures (2) put the special event on hold (3) pause during venue opening hours (4) delay that visit to the gym and (5) forget a few things to stop and READ for ONE lousy hour!

Meanwhile, find a really quiet, cosy place and settle down alone. Betcha read for longer than an hour!

Or gather a group together at school, work, bookshops like Avid Reader, the library, the park or get the family together in your own home and read, read, read for one lousy hour.

One hour isn’t going to kill you, the world won’t crumble around you – but you and the adults and children of Australia will visit another place through the pages of a book. For one lousy hour…

♥ Gretchen Bernet-Ward