More than 600 000 are expected to celebrate the joy of reading in the Australian Library and Information Association's (ALIA) National Simultaneous Storytime (NSS).
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On Wednesday at 11am in more than 4500 locations such as libraries, schools, bookshops, hospitals and homes, hundreds of thousands of children will read together, the same book, at the same time.
This annual event aims to encourage more young Australians to read and enjoy books during Library and Information Week - 22 - 28 May 2017.
This year the book featured will be The Cow Tripped Over the Moon by Tony Wilson, illustrated by Laura Wood and published by Scholastic Australia.
It's a wonderful tale of friendship and 'when at first you don't succeed, try, try again'. Plus it pays homage to the famous and instantly recognisable nursery rhyme.
Sue McKerracher, ALIA's Chief Executive Officer, said: 'We know that storytelling circles, families, schools and friends will have a wonderful time with this story as the cow gazes at the moon and makes many attempts at that high flying leap over it."
"The book inspires children because it tells a tale of never giving up, practicing a difficult skill and, without giving too much away, finally succeeding - with a little help from your friends."
The story is inspired by author Tony Wilson's son, Jack, who has cerebral palsy. Everything that Jack tries to do requires great perseverance and despite sometimes feeling grumpy about setbacks, he will always have another go.
