Welcoming a new addition to the CBCA Tasmania team

During the recent branch AGM it was a pleasure to meet and greet a new member of the CBCA Tasmania committee. Victoria brings a wealth of experiences revolving around children’s literature that will benefit everyone. Welcome on board Victoria Ryle.

I bring experience as a primary teacher and literacy advisory teacher many years ago in London, with a passion for the power of picture books to introduce children to the joys of literature and literacy in tandem. (I like to believe that around this time I may have contributed to introducing Michael Rosen to a certain traditional rhyme that I used to teach teachers on a language and literacy course, that was immortalised soon after in We’re Going on a Bear Hunt – he uses a similar cadence and actions in this recording

In 1996, I set up Kids’ Own Publishing, first in Ireland (where we had a close association with Children’s Books Ireland, CBCA’s equivalent), and since 2003 in Melbourne, where the organisation continues to celebrate children as authors and artists and give them a voice through publishing within their communities. 

Kid's Own Publishing http://kidsownpublishing.com/ 

Since relocating to Tasmania four years ago, I have established a creative residency space outside Hobart (visit allthatweare) and am undertaking a PhD researching the pedagogies that educators draw upon to publish books with children as authors.

I am joining the board of CBCA Tasmania as vice president at a time of exciting possibilities for bridging Tasmanian literature for children with new opportunities for literacy initiatives in the State. So, in thinking about my new role, I am curious about the separation between the fields of literature and literacy and what opportunities we can seize for those who may feel currently excluded from the world of books. How can we leverage benefits for literacy from the rich world of children’s literature and at the same time give children a stake in it? I look forward to connecting with a new generation of Tasmanian authors and illustrators through this role. 

Victoria Ryle 

Vice President, CBCA Tasmania