Questacon Science Play is coming to Orange City Library on Thursday 11 and Friday 12 September. It is an exciting new hands-on science program for children 0-6. Science Play aims to encourage young children to explore and learn about the world around them. Share the journey of discovery with your children. Each Questacon Science Play session is provided free of charge and includes: • More than 20 hands-on science activities which explore science themes such as light, sound, liquids and living things. • Enthusiastic Questacon presenters involve participants in interactive stories and songs •Ideas for science activities to do at home. Session Times are Thursday 11 September 2008 11:30am - 12:30pm and 1.30pm - 2.30pm and Friday 12 September 2008 at 1:30pm - 2.30pm. Bookings are essential so please call 6393 8132 to book your place.

Get ready to have your say and see spoken word artist Miles Merrill perform when he hosts the Australian Poetry Slam 08 competition. There will be two heats in the Central West:

Macquarie Regional Library, Dubbo Saturday 13 September at 2.30pm

Orange City Library, Orange Thursday 18 September at 6.30pm.

We are looking for poets, hip hop artists, storytellers and other outspoken wordsmiths to speak, scream, howl or whisper or sing your original poem, rhyme, rap or story. Performers can sign up from 30 mins before the start and have 2 minutes at the microphone to impress the judges. Be in the audience to have a chance of being picked as a judge (tip - catch the frisbee). It is an electric live event and entertainment plus. Two winners from the Orange heat will win Sydney flights and accommodation courtesy of Orange Regional Arts Foundation to be able to attend the State Final at the State Library of NSW on Friday 21 November. Come along and be part of it. Call Orange City Library on 6393 8132 for more details.

The winners of this year's Children's Book Council of Australia (CBCA) awards have been announced. Please note that some of the books are for mature readers. All the nominated books are on display in Orange City Library. And the winners are:

Picture Book of the Year Requiem for a Beast by Matt Ottley, Lothian

Older Readers Book of the Year The Ghost's Child by Sonya Hartnett, Viking

Early Childhood Book of the Year Pearl Barley and Charlie Parsley by Aaron Blabey, Viking

Eve Pownall Award for Information Books Parsley Rabbit's Book about Books by Frances Watts, illustrated by David Legge, ABC Books

For more information and a list of honour books and nominations go to the Children's Book Council website www.cbca.org.au. Did you predict any of the winners?

The saying goes "seven days without reading makes one weak" so why not Fuel Your Mind with winners of the Children's Book Council of Australia Awards. Winners of the Book Awards will be announced on the eve of Book Week, held from 16 to 22 August. Come into Orange City Library to see a display of the winning books or join in with the special Book Week storytimes on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at 11am. Book Week is the longest running children's festival in Australia, celebrating its 63rd birthday this year. Picture books (please note some are for older readers) nominated this year are: The Peasant Prince by Anne Spudvilas and Li Cunxin; The Island by Armin Greder; You and Me: Our Place by Dee Huxley and Leonie Norrington; Ziba Came on a Boat by Robert Ingpen and Liz Lofthouse; Requiem for a Beast by Matt Ottley; and Dust by Colin Thompson and 13 other illustrators. The other categories are Older Readers, Younger Readers, Early Childhood and Eve Pownall Award. Visit the website cbca.org.au to view the Children's Book Council of Australia Shortlist for your next children's book to read and see if you can predict the winner.

The 2008 Banjo Paterson Writing Award Winners were announced today and they are:

Prose: Margaret Betts from VIC for Exposure, Greg McFarland of Orange for The Tractor, Neridah McMullin from VIC for Bart and the Underground Water Supply. Open Poetry: Jo Mills from WA for Walyunga, Jillian Pattinson from VIC for E H Holden and Pamela Sherpa from Jindabyne for Drought.

Bush Poetry: Ron Stevens of Dubbo for Distant Dialogue.

Children's Writing Awards: Thomas Whitehead, of Orange, for his poem My Favourite Holiday, Eleanor Delaney, of Orange, for her poem Winter and Holly Fredericksen, of Orange, for her short story Bushed.

The Yvonne Zola Encouragement Award goes to Sarah Stackman of Lewis Ponds, for her poetry.

Enjoy the wonderful story of Arthur written by Amanda Graham and illustrated by Donna Gynell during National Simultaneous Storytime today Wednesday 21 May at 11am. The book is about Arthur, a dog in a pet store desperately wanting a home but nobody seems to want him. He imitates all the other pet shop animals in the hope of being bought but just when he has given up hope a little girl buys him..... a gorgeous timeless story and the event reminds everyone about the joy of reading.

We have received a thank you email and photo from Mahboba Rawi of the charity group Mahboba's Promise for our donation following the screening of The Kite Runner. So thank you to everyone who came along on the the night, who made donations and bought lucky door tickets. This is the result of your generosity:

"We were delighted to receive the rewards of your fundraising efforts! Thank-you so much for thinking of us. The Kite Runner has been wonderful in raising people's awareness of the plight of the people of Afghanistan and bringing our stories alive in people's imaginations. We are going to send the money you raised to buy books and furniture for our Hope House Library, in this way the children at Hope House will continue to be inspired by literature as you have been! I have included some pictures of me with the children at Hope House." For more information about the charity go to their website www.mahbobaspromise.org

Take time out to visit Melvil the Scarecrow at Orange City Library during F.O.O.D Week 11 - 20 April. Melvil is part of the Sauce of Scarecrows Exhibition featuring scarecrows made from recycled materials on display around the district. He also has the important job of watching over entries in the Scarecrow Children's Poetry Competition. Congratulations and thank you to everyone who entered. Melvil the Scarecrow takes his name from Melvil Dewey - founder of the cataloguing system used by libraries around the world. He is created from pre-loved materials, paper packaging, straw, old clothes, plastic bags, pillow, stockings and buttons. You may also wish to check out the "Jonathan" and "Granny" Scarecrows outside the Orange Visitor Information Centre. Can you guess what they have been named after?