Get Ready for Book Week 2026: A Symphony of Stories

It's almost time for the biggest week on the school library calendar! CBCA Children's Book Week 2026 runs from Saturday 22 August to Friday 28 August, and this year's theme, "Symphony of Stories", is a celebration of the many voices, characters and adventures that fill our library shelves.

The official artwork comes from award-winning author-illustrator Briony Stewart (of Gymnastica Fantastica fame), who has created a wonderfully musical cast of characters, including Pixie Pip, Taco, Brunhilda, Winston and Maestro Pebbles, bursting from the pages of a book with their weird and wonderful instruments. As Briony describes it, she wanted to show "what stepping into a symphony of stories might be like."

This year is extra special: 2026 marks the 80th year of the CBCA Book of the Year Awards, eight decades of championing Australian children's literature. The winners will be chosen from the 2026 shortlist and announced on Friday, 21 August, right on the eve of Book Week, making the perfect crescendo into your celebrations.

Ideas to Make Your Library Sing

Deck out your library. A musical theme is a display dream. Think staves and floating notes made from black card, instruments crafted from recycled materials, and a "conductor's podium" spotlighting the 2026 shortlisted and Notable books. The CBCA offers free downloadable theme artwork, character images and social media frames on the official Book Week page.

Plan an easy costume parade. The costume parade is a Book Week institution, and it doesn't need to be stressful. Encourage families to build simple costumes from wardrobe staples inspired by characters in the 2026 CBCA Notables: a cap and backpack here, a striped shirt there. Provide a list of low-effort character ideas so every student (and staff member!) can join in.

Get students shadow judging. The CBCA's Shadow Judging program invites groups of young readers to assess the shortlisted books and vote for their own winners, announced alongside the official awards. It's a brilliant way to build critical reading skills and give students a genuine voice in the awards conversation.

Host authors, activities and performances. Author and illustrator visits, story-writing workshops, "musical chairs" read-alouds, and collaborative wall displays where every class contributes an "instrument" to the symphony all bring the theme to life across the whole school.

How Oliver v5 Can Help Orchestrate It All

Your library system can do a lot of the heavy lifting in the lead-up to Book Week:

Showcase the shortlist. Create eye-catching carousels of the 2026 shortlisted, Notable and winning titles on your Oliver v5 search interface, so students can browse, reserve and borrow them from anywhere.

Add the ready-made CBCA news page. Download our pre-built CBCA news page from the Oliver Community Portal and add it to your Oliver v5 home screen: an instant, ready-to-go hub for all things Book Week that keeps students up to date with the awards.

Build themed reading lists. Curate "Symphony of Stories" resource lists (books about music, storytelling, and the shortlisted titles by category) and share them with teachers to support classroom activities.

Let students have their say. Encourage shadow judges and young readers to rate and review the shortlisted books directly in Oliver, building a buzz that lasts well beyond August.

Measure the crescendo. Use circulation reports to see which titles struck a chord, and use that insight to shape collection development for the rest of the year.

Start Planning Your Symphony

Book Week has a way of arriving faster than expected, so now is the perfect time to order shortlisted titles, book author visits and start those displays. Whether you celebrate with a full costume parade or a quiet week of themed storytimes, Book Week is a wonderful reminder of why school libraries matter: they're where every child can find their part in the symphony of stories.

How is your library celebrating Book Week 2026? We'd love to hear your ideas. Share them with us on social media, and explore how Oliver v5 can help make this your best Book Week yet.