NZ Book Month - March 2011

The new project director for NZ Book Month is Nikki Crowther - she sent out a message introducing herself and announcing that New Zealand Book Month has been postponed from October this year to March 2011, and in March annually thenceforth...

"Why? For a number of good reasons, including the fact that the school year will be disrupted in 2011 due to the Rugby World Cup. And because our current objectives involve the school community to an even greater degree than in the past, it seemed vital New Zealand Book Month adapt. Further, in discussions across the industry we learned there are other good reasons to move New Zealand Book Month in the calendar year, including:

• Retailers tell us the hectic buzz of Christmas is gone, the summer holidays are over, Back to School has brought us back down to earth with a bump and March is a good time to turn our thoughts to more cultural pursuits and a little escapist pleasure as the evenings start to draw in
  
• The Book Month Board note the importance of sharing our passion for books with as many people as possible -- rather than compete with Rugby World Cup Fever, let's aim to raise a little Book Fever ahead of the game!
  
• Teachers and Librarians highlight that the best time to get children enthused about the sheer joy of reading for pleasure is at the start of the academic year