16th - 22nd Harmony Week 21st March Harmony Day

Harmony Day is celebrated annually in Australia on 21st March to coincide with the 

UN's International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. It celebrates Australia's cultural diversity under the theme "Everyone Belongs," promoting inclusiveness, respect, and a sense of belonging for all, often marked by wearing orange. In 2026, the week-long celebration, Harmony Week, runs from 16-22 March.

At school I am often asked to set up a display of books in the school foyer that focus on diversity, inclusion and racism, but this year I thought I might do an 'orange' display in the library. Last week while browsing in the art gallery bookshop I saw this new book by a favourite illustrator, Julie Morstad.

I stood there and skim read it. I was not disappointed. Everything 'orange' is included here. Here's the blurb:

Look closely. The color orange is all around you, not only in the natural world—from fruit and foxes to minerals and mushrooms—but in the human-engineered world, too, from works of art to religious ceremonies to astronaut survival suits. Ranging through time and circumnavigating the globe, witty stream-of-consciousness text and jaunty illustrations explore color through surprising social, historical, cultural, and artistic lenses. With more than thirty vivid examples and a gentle introduction to color theory, this eye-opening voyage into the heart of orange is a clever appeal to experience other colors—and the world at large—with an open and expansive mind.

I immediately started to think about where it would fit in the library. I thought about how we had had displays before that focus on colours ...green in time for St Patrick's Day; purple to coincide with wearing purple for Epilepsy Day etc and then thought about how Harmony Day is coming up and how the students are sometimes asked to wear orange coloured clothes.

A quick look in the catalogue told me we had these books:

And then I will add to it by collecting 'orange' books because there are so many...just an example...

4th March Red and Yellow Day

On Wednesday 4 March 2026, Surf Life Saving Australia will launch the very first Red and Yellow Day, a new nationwide celebration of Surf Life Saving and the thousands of volunteer surf lifesavers who keep our beaches safe. Schools across Australia can play a powerful role in bringing the day to life, helping to educate students on essential water safety knowledge and the importance of the red and yellow flags. Our school is celebrating by wearing a touch of red and yellow and talking about the importance of Surf Lifesaving.

There are not many books that feature lifesaving, but the one our library has is worth a read! And if your library doesn't have it, watch it on Storybox Library.

Your library might also have these books about being a Nipper.

March Hearing Awareness Month

World Hearing Day is an annual campaign observed in March in over 100 countries worldwide, drawing attention to the importance of ear and hearing care as a fundamental aspect of overall health and well-being. Governments, healthcare providers, and advocacy groups come together to raise awareness, promote early detection, and encourage hearing health practices to prevent avoidable hearing loss. 

The campaign highlights the critical role that hearing plays in communication, education, employment, and social inclusion. Despite the progress made, over 80% of the world's ear and hearing care needs remain unmet, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO)*. 

Globally, school-age children with hearing loss often remain undiagnosed and without access to needed services (World report on hearing, 2021). Hearing loss affects around 90 million children and adolescents aged 5-19 years, across all parts of the world (Global burden of disease study, 2021). However, it commonly remains undetected, especially in low-resource settings.

I did not think we would have many books to support this topic, but I was wrong. Yesterday a friend who kindly volunteers in my school library and I collected together books for a display. Among them were:

And this series of short chapter books about Lizzie and her dog Lucky.

3rd - 4th March Holi

Just as Lunar New Year finishes, the Indian festival of Holi is celebrated. Holi  known as the festival of colours, is a Hindu festival celebrated on the last full moon in the lunar month of Phalguna which is usually in March. This ancient tradition marks the end of winter and honours the triumph of good over evil.

The night before Holi, people light bonfires to say goodbye to winter. They gather at temples to sing and dance to music. Then the real fun starts on the day of Holi. That’s when people throw gulal—bright powders and water—at anybody and everybody. These coloured powders have special meaning: red dye symbolises love; blue represents the Hindu god Krishna, and green stands for new beginnings.

There are families at school who celebrate Holi so we have a small number of books.