Every child deserves the opportunity to discover the magic of books, the joy of reading and the confidence that comes from learning.
For children growing up in rural and remote Australia, accessing books isn’t always as simple as visiting a local library or bookshop. Distance, availability and the cost of getting books into remote communities can all create barriers.
That’s why Bushed Australia is developing Buy a Book, a national literacy initiative designed to put more books into children’s homes, support parents as their children’s first reading partners, and inspire a lifelong love of reading.
Our ambition is simple: help children build their own home libraries, encourage families to read together, and make books part of everyday childhood.
Because a book is more than a collection of pages. It’s a conversation, an adventure, an opportunity to imagine and a foundation for learning.
Why Books Matter
The books children grow up with can influence the opportunities they have later in life.
Research has consistently linked growing up with books in the home to stronger literacy, numeracy and educational outcomes.
Books introduce children to new words, ideas and experiences. They encourage curiosity, imagination, communication and confidence.
But books do something else that’s just as important.
They bring families together.
When a parent, grandparent or caregiver sits with a child and reads a story, they’re doing much more than reading words. They’re talking, asking questions, listening, laughing and helping that child understand the world around them.
And those moments can begin from birth.
That’s why Buy a Book is about more than putting books on shelves. It’s about helping families create homes where reading, learning and storytelling become part of everyday life.
The books children grow up with can influence the opportunities they have later in life.
Research has consistently linked growing up with books in the home to stronger literacy, numeracy and educational outcomes.
Books introduce children to new words, ideas and experiences. They encourage curiosity, imagination, communication and confidence.
But books do something else that’s just as important.
They bring families together.
When a parent, grandparent or caregiver sits with a child and reads a story, they’re doing much more than reading words. They’re talking, asking questions, listening, laughing and helping that child understand the world around them.
And those moments can begin from birth.
That’s why Buy a Book is about more than putting books on shelves. It’s about helping families create homes where reading, learning and storytelling become part of everyday life.
From 10 Books to 100 Books to 1,000 Reading Experiences
10 BOOKS — Every journey starts somewhere.
For a child with very few books, receiving their first 10 can be an exciting beginning. Ten books offer new stories to explore, favourite characters to discover and opportunities to establish a family reading routine.
100 BOOKS — Building a home library.
Our aspiration is to help children build a personal library of 100 books by the time they start school.
Research suggests that growing up in a home with access to a substantial collection of books is associated with stronger educational outcomes.
We want more children, particularly in rural and remote Australia, to experience the benefits of having books of their own.
1,000 READING EXPERIENCES — Creating lifelong habits.
We also want to encourage families to share 1,000 reading experiences before their child begins Prep.
That doesn’t mean reading 1,000 different books!
Children love hearing their favourite stories over and over again. Every time a parent reads a familiar story, there’s another opportunity to learn a word, ask a question or discover something new.
It’s not about how many different books children read. It’s about making reading a regular, enjoyable part of family life.
Parents: A Child’s First and Most Important Reading Partners
You don’t have to be a teacher to help your child become a reader.
You simply need to spend time together.
Through Buy a Book, Bushed plans to develop a free Parent Literacy and Learning Resource Library, offering practical tips, short videos, reading activities and advice from educators, authors and literacy specialists.
We’ll help parents discover how to read with babies and toddlers, encourage children to talk about stories, ask questions, build vocabulary and develop confidence.
Whether it’s five minutes before bedtime or a favourite story shared on the verandah, every reading experience matters.
Our goal is to help parents feel confident, supported and excited about their role in their children’s learning.
Bringing Books to the Bush
Australia has wonderful children’s authors, publishers, booksellers and community organisations.
Buy a Book aims to bring these people together to help books reach the families who need them.
We’re exploring partnerships with Australian authors and publishers to source engaging, age-appropriate books, alongside established freight, supply and distribution networks to make delivery more efficient.
Schools, rural businesses, roadhouses, community organisations and local collection points could all play a role in getting books into children’s hands.
We’re also developing a Book of the Month initiative, designed to introduce families to new stories, Australian authors, reading activities and opportunities to request books as the program grows.
Our focus will begin with rural and remote communities, while the reading challenges and parent education resources will be available to families across Australia.
Celebrating Australian Authors and Young Storytellers
Australia is home to extraordinary children’s authors and illustrators, whose stories deserve to be shared.
Through Buy a Book, we hope to connect Australian authors and publishers with rural families through book donations, featured titles, online reading sessions, book reviews and storytelling activities.
And we want children to do more than read stories.
Through our proposed Bush Kids as Publishers initiative, rural and remote children will be encouraged to write, illustrate and share stories of their own.
From life on the land to adventures, animals, friendships and family, every child has a story worth telling.
Help Us Build a Nation of Young Readers
Buy a Book is being developed by Bushed Australia with a vision of bringing together families, authors, publishers, businesses, educators, community organisations and everyday Australians to help build a stronger, more literate Australia.
In a world increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence and digital technology, the importance of traditional reading, comprehension and independent thinking has never been greater.
Technology can give children access to information at the touch of a button, but it cannot replace the fundamental skills of reading, understanding, questioning and thinking for themselves.
The ability to read and comprehend is about much more than recognising words on a page. It’s about developing imagination, curiosity, concentration, critical thinking and the confidence to form independent opinions. These are the foundations that help children navigate an increasingly complex world, distinguish fact from fiction and become confident, capable lifelong learners.
And that journey begins at home, with a book, a story and someone willing to share it.
We believe every child deserves the opportunity to develop these skills, regardless of where they live.
There are many ways to help: donating books, sponsoring their distribution, sharing professional expertise, supporting local collection points or contributing financially to the program.
Together, we can put more books into children’s hands, build home libraries, empower parents to become their children’s first and most important reading partners, and create learning opportunities that reach far beyond the classroom.
Because the future doesn’t just need children who can use technology. It needs children who can read, comprehend, question, imagine and think for themselves.
Buy a Book. Build a Library. Change a Life.
An initiative of Bushed Australia.
buyabook.com.au – coming soon