A Stocking Full of Christmas

Our last post for 2025 highlights the wonders of our digital world in celebrating Christmas. Dip inside for some fun and frolics, sit back and enjoy the viewing. Note that some of these tales are advertisements or start with ads, some are for the very young, and at the bottom of the stocking are one or two for a more mature audience - just a bit cheeky. 

Ho! Ho! Ho: Where's the play button?

Mog's Christmas Calamity - Judith Kerr 

Christmas Eve with Kipper

Kipper the Dog | Season 3 Full Episode | Kids Cartoon Show

Paddington gets locked out on Christmas Day 

Bear Stays Up

Christmas holiday stories read aloud (Read Aloud books for children)

Jingle Bells with Adorable Kittens! 

Orange Cat Scully Becomes an Elf to Help Save Christmas

The Night Before Christmas

This Christmas Night
[AI Music Video]

The Magical Tale of Santa’s Reindeer

Animated Christmas Story for Kids

Edgar the Dragon 

in joint John Lewis and Waitrose Christmas advert

The Berenstain Bears' Christmas Tree
(1979, 25 mins)

Coming Home - Michael Morpurgo 

reciting his story with a mix of shots from the book and the author. Following, is Waitrose's interpretation of the tale as a short film.

Yet Another Partridge in a Pear Tree (Brian Muzik)

(a witty parody)

White Christmas by The Drifters 

(3D Animation 4K 1954)

From Snow Shovelling to Turkey Tech!

Wallace & Gromit’s Cracking Christmas

Singing Christmas Hedgehogs - Full Version (For the grown ups)

Wishing our members and followers all the best for Christmas and the holiday season.

Jennie Bales

Retired teacher librarian and CBCA Tasmania Social Media Coordinator

Young Readers Engaging with Books

As the school year draws to a close, this week’s post highlights some of the exciting programs that CBCA Tasmania has promoted and supported throughout 2025 that encourage students to connect and engage with reading through the exploration of great books. 

Young Tasmanian readers have had some amazing opportunities  in 2025 to engage with books in a shared environment. 

Leading up to Book Week in August, 10 groups of Tasmanian students were enrolled in the Book of the Year Shadow Judging program. This program see the students read, review and judge the books that have been shortlisted for the CBCA Book of the Year Awards. This year Tasmania had groups judge Older Readers, Younger Readers, Early Childhood and Picture Book categories. Groups use the same criteria that the adult judges use to review the titles and then vote on which book they consider should be the winner in that year. This year the Shadow Judges (SJ) selected Birdy (Older Readers), Laughter is the Best Ending (Younger Readers), Spiro (Early Childhood) and The Truck Cat (Picture Book). Only Laughter is the Best Ending and The Truck Cat matched the Book of the Year Winners chosen by the Adult Judges. You can read some of reviews written by the Shadow Judges in the Term 4 CBCA Tasmania Newsletter, which will be available shortly on the CBCA Tas website. You can also see some of the creative responses these students posted to the Shadow Judging website (and specific Tasmanian SJ responses linked at the bottom of this blog.

Some examples of St Thomas More's responses
Published on CBCA website (see link at the end of post)

Young readers throughout Tasmania also had the opportunity to be involved in Readers’ Cup competitions throughout 2025. The Readers’ Cup competition is facilitated by different groups with support from CBCA Tasmania. Competitors read a selection of six titles, and then meet to answer quiz questions based on these titles and then perform a creative response to one or more of the titles.

In May, the Northern Primary Readers’ Cup had 17 schools meet and compete. Read all about it in a previous post! 

17 primary teams engage in the Northern Readers' Cup quiz.

In September two teams (another two had to withdraw) competed in the Northern Secondary Readers’ Cup. On December 10 there will be a planning meeting to plan for 2026 Northern Secondary Readers’ Cup. If you would like to attend this meeting, please email tas@cbca.org.au by COB on December 8 for information.

Dodges Ferry winning team

In October the Southern Primary Readers’ Cup returned after a few years recess. Only two schools competed but reportedly had a wonderful time and both have offered to host the 2026 competition. St Therese’s Catholic School hosted and won the creative challenge; Dodges Ferry Primary School won the Quiz and were overall winners.

In November Devonport Readers’ Cup had 10 teams compete at Latrobe. This cup is run by Toast For Kids Charity’s, Steve Martin, with the support of local councils, SEA FM and CBCA Tas. Teams of students from Devonport, Latrobe & Sheffield competed in what was considered to be the best competition in the nine year history of the Cup. SEA FM Radio Quiz Champions – Nixon Street Primary School won the Quiz component, Sheffield District High School the Creative Challenge and Hillcrest Primary School as the overall winners (highest score for quizzes and creative challenge).

Teams presenting their creative challenges

These two programs provide wonderful opportunities for young readers to engage deeply with texts and share a literary experience. They are enabled through the active involvement of teachers and teacher librarians.

Shadow Judging Creative Responses 2025

Hutchins School https://shadowjudging.cbca.org.au/creative-response/henry-w-hutchins-fluff-costume/

St Thomas More’s Catholic School https://shadowjudging.cbca.org.au/?s=St+Thomas+More

 

Felicity Sly 

Retired teacher-librarian and CBCA Tas 2025-2026 committee member