Cirrus@Austlit

'Forming a relationship with authors and characters is an important aspect of enjoyment for recreational readers for all ages. Many readers will have a favourite series, waiting for the next volume to come out to see what their favourite character is up to.' (Introduction)

'The original virtual reality, reading is still probably the best way to live more than one life; to travel to worlds and places that we'll never physically visit, and to spend time in the skin of a person other than ourselves. Even if we wouldn't want to encounter some of those worlds and people in real life, we can love being transported there in a book.' (Introduction)

'Every journey has a beginning, some have a defined destination, perhaps guided by a map, others are expeditions of exploration in which the maps may change. Many journeys are meanderings that lead us to surprising places, free of maps and expectation. The journey of Danielle Binks - writer, literary agent, reviewer and book blogger is the latter, a story of serendipitous discovery and opportunities.' (Introduction)

'Since the beginning of time pictures have been used to tell stories and record history and pictorial representation has played an important role in language and society, shaping meaning. From a young age visual storytelling helps the development of our language as we learn to establish meaning from images and apply them to the world.' (Introduction)

'We are in the midst of the age of technology, a time when our next generation are growing up with smartphones and tablets in their hands. They are skilled swipers, pinchers and tappers! But... what does this mean for literacy levels? How can we ensure our children become literate in an environment that competes with the interactive claimers of their time?' (Introduction)