a space for those who value children’s and YA literature and reading with children.

Children’s Books Daily is a guide for parents and a resource for educators, curated by Megan Daley.

Photo credit: Mark Cranitch

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The official bio

Megan Daley is passionate about children’s literature and is the author of the bestselling book 'Raising Readers', published by UQP and the upcoming title 'The Bee Hive', published by Walker Books. She is a Teacher Librarian in Brisbane and has been awarded the Queensland Teacher Librarian of the Year, as well as the national Dromkeen Librarian’s Award. A former national vice-president of the Children’s Book Council of Australia, Megan is also a sought after public speaker, literary judge, creator of the popular website Children's Books Daily and co-host of the Your Kid’s Next Read podcast. She also has a few more books in the pipeline. She also thinks sleep is overrated.

The unofficial bio

Once upon a time, many moons ago, I studied early childhood teaching, always with the intention of completing further studies in teacher librarianship and children’s literature. My mum is also a teacher-librarian, and she absolutely inspired my choice of career. When mum started studying teacher librarianship, I vividly recall the influx of astonishingly good books into our home. Books like ‘Dicey's Song’, ‘Came Back to Show You I Could Fly’ and John Marsden’s iconic ‘So Much to Tell You’ blew my teenage angsty brain, and I still consider these books among my top 10 favourites. My ‘apprenticeship’ was in the school libraries my mum managed, and it was a wonderful apprenticeship indeed.

the joy of libraries

After several years of classroom teaching, I was put in charge of my first school library: a one-room demountable building in a carpark at the back of the primary school. It doesn’t sound ideal, and yet I deeply loved that library and the students and staff I worked with; we had enormous fun.

When I had my first child I quickly realised that I was not cut out to be a stay-at-home parent, though I greatly admire any parent who chooses this path. My colleagues gave my newborn a jumpsuit that had ‘Future Librarian’ emblazoned across it, and she has certainly been immersed in the world of children’s literature since birth. She spent many evenings as a newborn sleeping under the table at Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) meetings (Queensland and then national), flew to a CBCA conference in Melbourne at six weeks old and had attended two official functions at Government House by 12 weeks old.

A second child followed, and it was around this time that I began my blog, Children’s Books Daily. My brother had just passed away and my blog filled the long night-time hours when I couldn’t sleep.

Photo Credit: Ruby Olive

Children’s Books Daily is my own little space on the interwebs where I connect with other parents, educators, readers and creators of books about all things children’s and YA literature. It is my creative outlet, my passion and more recently I would describe it as my therapy, after the unexpected and tragic death of my husband. In what has been the darkest of times, books, libraries, colleagues, family and friends have provided shimmering and stable light.

My current library is a wonderful place to be. To me, a school library is at the very centre of creative school communities. Our library welcomes staff, students and families; it offers overworked little minds refuge from a crowded curriculum, a cool escape from a bustling playground, a place to inquire and wonder, and a place to connect with quality literature and engage with like-minded readers.

The worth of a teacher librarian is not easily quantifiable, and schools must make tough business decisions sometimes. However, there is a plethora of academic and anecdotal evidence to support the importance of libraries and teacher-librarians, and the impact they can have on an entire school community.

Receiving the Queensland Teacher Librarian of the Year and the National Dromkeen Librarian’s Award in 2017 was a completely humbling experience. All I do differently to any of the other quality teacher-librarians I know is squawk a little louder about the importance of introducing young people to the wonder of literature and...

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