16th - 20th March Neurodiversity Celebration Week

Neurodiversity Celebration Week is designed to recognise and celebrate the strengths of people who are neurodiverse, as well as challenge preconceptions of what they can or cannot achieve. It aims to bring about worldwide neurodiversity acceptance, equality and inclusion in schools and workplaces.

For too long, classrooms and workplaces have been built around a narrow view of a “normal” brain. The neurodiversity paradigm challenges this by recognising that brains develop and function in a variety of ways as a natural part of human diversity.

Rather than treating autism, ADHD, dyslexia, and similar diagnoses as deficits to be managed, this approach views them as variations from the neurological majority. These differences are not inherently positive or negative—they simply are. Embracing neuroinclusion means both acknowledging the unique strengths that neurodivergent people bring and recognising challenges and requirements for their support.

Here's ten books to get you started on a reading adventure.

This book explores neurodiversity including autism, ADHD, dyslexia, sensory processing and synesthesia in a beautiful, funny and engaging way.

An informative and inclusive children's guide to neurodiversity for those not in the know and to inspire children who are neurodivergent.

Shows readers that understanding how different brains feel and learn can help us connect with others . . . and keep our own brains happy! Through humorous, engaging text and brightly coloured art, readers are introduced to the fundamentals of how our brains work, how our unique neurology influences how we think and act, and how the world is a better place when we understand each other’s brains and use them collectively. 

Teaches us to embrace not only who we are, but also to embrace the people around us who are brilliantly different thanks to their own amazing, colourful stripes. Zane the zebra feels different from the rest of his classmates. He worries that all they notice about him is his 'autism stripe.' With the help of his Mama, Zane comes to appreciate all his stripes & the unique strengths that make him who he is!

With insight and warmth, this heartfelt story from the perspective of a boy on the autism spectrum celebrates the everyday magic of friendship.

This appealing brother and sister duo spend a lot of their day together, eating meals, going to school and playing. But life with an autistic sibling is not always easy. Through the eyes of the brother, we find out how they are both very different, but also very similar in other ways, and come what may they have lots of fun together and love each other just the same. 

When Hudson Talbott was a little boy, he loved drawing, and it came naturally to him. But reading? No way! One at a time, words weren't a problem, but long sentences were a struggle. As his friends moved on to thicker books, he kept his slow reading a secret. But that got harder every year. He felt alone, lost, and afraid in a world of too many words. This inspiring story vividly reveals the challenges--and ultimately the rewards--of being a non-mainstream kind of learner.

The central character is a young boy who has an obsessive interest which dominates his life and that of his family. This is a trait often present in children who have Autism Spectrum disorder. The story is narrated by Hugo's older sibling who grapples with acceptance of her brothers eccentricity. Hugo's obsession and consequent skill with numbers brings rewards for him and his sister, so that the story ends positively, celebrating Hugo's unique abilities.

Bernie thinks in boxes. She has boxes for everything: for home, for school and even for the park. 

Bernie likes boxes. When things fit into boxes, they make sense.
But one day, Bernie's boxes collide, and she must find a way to make sense of her world again.

When young Temple was diagnosed with autism, no one expected her to talk, let alone become one of the most powerful voices in modern science. Yet, the determined visual thinker did just that. Her unique mind allowed her to connect with animals in a special way, helping her invent groundbreaking improvements for farms around the globe!

7th March World Tennis Day

World Tennis Day on 7th March  aims to foster global interest in the game.

Tennis, as we know it today, can be traced back to a medieval game, jeu de paume, played in France. In the 16th century, there were no less than a thousand tennis courts in Paris only, showing how popular the sport was back then, among royalty and commoners alike.

I have written about tennis and children's books before on Play Tennis Day which is on 23rd February. For books see here.

As this is the day before International Women's Day I thought I might do a small display on Monday of the books that feature successful women tennis players.

The library has books about Evonne Goolagong, Billie Jean King, the Williams sisters Venus and Serena, Martina Navratilova, Chris Evert and Ash Barty, but start with Lottie Dod. Charlotte Dod (24 September 1871 – 27 June 1960) was an English multi-sport athlete, best known as a tennis player. She won the Wimbledon Ladies' Singles five times, the first one when she was only 15 in the summer of 1887. She remains the youngest ladies' singles champion.

Blurb: “Girls can’t play tennis as well as boys? What a lot of NONSENSE!” Lottie Dod is DETERMINED to show that girls can be just as good as sports as boys. She runs and jumps and leaps after the ball – playing tennis makes Lottie feel WONDERFUL. After beating her brothers, she eventually goes on to reach the finals of the most important tennis competition of them all – WIMBLEDON! Can she continue her winning streak to become the world’s first female sports SUPERSTAR? NEVER underestimate what girls can do!

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.