21 NOV 2021 · Reka, Kirri & Luke speak with Australia Reads Ambassador #astrophysicist Professor Lisa Harvey-Smith about her latest titles including 'Little book Big Universe', as well as the great line-up for 2021 Australian Reading Hour. (Includes snippet of 'Page 9' audio story - see https://www.musicmatters.org.au/story-time/ for full list list of stories.) https://australiareads.org.au/ https://lisaharveysmith.com/

31 AUG 2021 · Reka and Kirri celebrate Indigenous Literacy Day 2021 with ILF Ambassadors, artist, author and musician Greg Dreise in Queensland and TV/radio personality and educator Shelley Ware in Melbourne, plus the team cross to Katherine in the NT to chat with ILF Regional Program Manager Josie Lardy to find out about the awesome Indigenous Literacy Day / Week online events and programs available for schools all across Australia - and the girls learn a bit of Kriol along the way! This podcast is of the full show and includes the following music tracks: Welcome to Country by Greg Dreise Tyerrty Atyenh Map (sung in Anmatyerr - This is my Family) written by Caroline Stafford, Anne Stanley, Seini Taumoepeau and Mal Webb / performed by Caroline Stafford and students at Mount Allen School NT Nyurruwiyi performed by Mal Webb and Kylie Morrigan Find out more about this year's events: https://www.indigenousliteracyfoundation.org.au/ More about Gregg https://www.greggdreise.com.au/ More about Shelley https://www.shelleyware.com.au/home

10 JUL 2021 · Hosted by Ahelee, Reka, Luke & Lucy - Primary Perspectives celebrates National NAIDOC Week 2021 with this awesome Indigenous Literacy Foundation Reading Matters Special, featuring ILF Lifetime Ambassador Andy Griffiths and Stick Mob young graphic novelists & illustrators Lauren Boyle from Adelaide and Alyssa Mason, Declan Miller & Seraphina Newberry from Alice Springs. These amazingly talented young people have made history, so make sure to check out this great podcast to find out why! https://www.indigenousliteracyfoundation.org.au/ https://www.stickmobstudio.com.au/about-us/ http://www.andygriffiths.com.au/ Music featured courtesy of the SwitchOn 'As One World' Charity Album - raising funds for endangered species Giant Gippsland Earthworm by Mal Webb & Kylie Morrigan Ode to Ophelia the Orange-Bellied Parrot by Catbird narrated by Gary Young https://switchontelethon.bandcamp.com/album/switchon-global-telethon Audio Story - There is a Unicorn in My Garden from the Funky Kids Story Time Collection by Viarnne Mischon narrated by Joanna Tracas

28 JUN 2021 · Reka & Kirri welcome multi-award winning author/illustrator Philip Bunting and award winning author & podcaster Nat Amoore, whose books are shortlisted in 2020 the Wilderness Society Environment Awards for Children’s Literature. Plus for this month’s Shelftalker reviews, Christian reviews Nat’s book ‘The Right Way to Rock’ and Kirri reviews Philip’s books 'Give Me Some Space' and 'The Wonderful Wisdom of Ants'. See the full shortlist here https://www.wilderness.org.au/work/environment-award-for-childrens-literature

21 MAR 2021 · Reka and Ginger welcome YABBA President Michelle Nye to the studio as special guest host for this debut R.E.A.L. Awards Special, featuring fabulous interviews with multi-award winning children and YA authors, Andy Griffiths, Jacqueline Harvey, Deborah Abela and Tristan Bancks! Check out this great podcast to find out about the YABBA, Koala and KROC Awards and how to nominate and vote for these important student choice awards (no adults allowed!) http://yabba.org.au/ https://www.koalansw.org.au/ https://www.darwin.nt.gov.au/libraries/kids-and-teens/kroc-awards http://www.andygriffiths.com.au/ https://jacquelineharvey.com.au/ https://www.deborahabela.com/ https://www.tristanbancks.com/

12 MAR 2021 · Ahelee, Evie and Reka welcome multi-award winning children's author and 2020/21 Australian Children’s Laureate, Ursula Dubosarsky back to the show for this awesome debut Reading Matters ACLF Special, which also features writer and journalist Kristin Darell, Program Manager of the Australian Children’s Laureate Foundation, and Paul Macdonald, Publisher from Book Trail Press and Owner of The Children’s Bookshop and Speakers’ Agency in Sydney. The Australian Children’s Laureate Foundation (ACLF) is a not-for-profit organisation with representation from across the field of children's and young adult literature. Founded in 2008 as the Australian Children's Literature Alliance (ACLA), the name was changed to ACLF in 2018 to clarify the focus of the organisation's work. https://www.childrenslaureate.org.au/ http://ursuladubosarsky.squarespace.com/ Click on the link to donate and keep reading alive! https://www.givenow.com.au/donate25 The ACLF's vision is to enrich the lives of young Australians through the power of story. The ACLF’s mission is: to promote the value and importance of reading to raise the profile of books in the lives of Australian children and young adults to respond to identified needs and issues in the children's & youth literature national landscape to champion the cause of young australians' reading in a consultative, collegial and inclusive way within a cultural framework that showcases the best of Australian Literature for young people, and to undertake selected national projects that will promote these objects nationally.

15 JUL 2020 · Miani, Reka and Sarah chat with ex-police officer and paramedic turned full time mum and writer, Fleur Ferris. Fleur's first four YA books - Risk, Black, Wreck and Found, have earned a significant amount of awards and recognition nationwide, including the Davitt Best Young Adult Crime Novel 2016, Davitt Best Debut Crime Book 2016, Australian Family Therapists’ Award for Children’s Literature and Young Australian Best Book Award - or YABBA as they are known - and some of them have also been optioned for film and a play. Now that’s a lot of success in a short time! Releasing one novel every year since she started writing, Fleur soon became one of Australia's Top 10 Best Selling YA Authors and in May 2019 Fleur released her first fairy-tale 'Nullaboo Hullabaloo', which is about a small girl, Gemma for the Australian town of Nullaboo who discovers a fairy in her bug catcher. With secret government agency barging in, Gemma and her family have to figure a way to save the last fairy colony on Earth! Check out this great podcast to find out more http://www.fleurferris.com/

8 JUN 2020 · MEET SOME MORE OF THE A-Z OF WONDERFUL CHARACTERS illustrated by Myke Mollard from 'An Antechinus in the Attic'! In part 2 part of 'An Antechinus in the Attic' Special, hosts Miani and Julian Byron D'dingo (Broden) from Bilby Creek speak with featured guest endangered species scientist Dr Rochelle Steven from the Threatened Species Recovery Hub and Jess Pinder from The Jane Goodall Institute Australia gives a reading of Dr Jane Goodall's stirring foreword for the book! Meet Kirsty the Kangaroo (Michaela), Kenny the Koala (Michaela) and Katie the Kookaburra (Evie), Gertrude the Galah (Liam), Greta the Greater Glider (Reka), Gideon the Gouldian Finch (Liam), Gordon & Jonah the Goannas (Jhenardt), Carol and Connie the Cassowaries (Zoe), Cathy the Carnaby’s Cockatoo (Phoebe), Colin the Corroboree Frog (Rohan), Percy the Pygmy Possum (Sarah), Poppy the Pink Slug (Esme), Penny the Platypus and her cousin little Shirley (Jojo) from Bilby Creek! An Antechinus in the Attic is a conservation awareness campaign for children, as well as a joint fund-raising project with Jane Goodall’s Roots & Shoots Australia and the School Broadcasting Network Inc to support important conservation and youth projects nationwide and funds raised from book sales are also supporting other organisations’ urgent conservation projects around Australia, such as Save the Bilby Fund, Tree Roo Rescue and Friends of the Helmeted Honeyeater. Written by Viarnne Mischon and illustrated by Myke Mollard with a stirring call to action foreword by Dr Jane Goodall DBE, this stunning picture book was released on National Threatened Species Day on 7 September 2020. You can ORDER YOUR COPY via www.sbnpublishing.org - we'd really appreciate your support! The interactive audio e-book, and new extended version of the audio story will be released on National Threatened Species Day on 7 September 2021. From Gary Young's review "An Antechinus in the Attic offers up so many names and words to discover and explore and is a wonderful springboard into the world of Australia’s exotic animals, birds, insects, reptiles and flora. It is as informative and educational as it is witty and fun. So much to explore! I’m off to find out about the brush-tailed Bettong and the silver headed Antechinus!” GARY YOUNG

21 MAY 2020 · In part 1 of the 2 part Reading Matters 'An Antechinus in the Attic' Special, hosts Miani and Julian Byron D'dingo (Broden) from Bilby Creek speak with renowned, multi-award winning theatre director Gary Young, who is the bestselling children's author/illustrator of the 'More than Two' Series of Collective Nouns. In this humourous special, filled with many of the characters from the soon to be released picture book, Gary chats with the 'cover girl' Annie the Antechinus (Ginger) and Donald the Dunnart (Shehan) as well as David D'Dingo and Daniel the Dinosaur Ant (Broden) to find out about their species. Plus Gladys & Edith the Emu (Circe), Barry and Eddie the Echidnas (Felix) Ethan the Eastern Curlew (Ethan), Harry the Hairy Nosed Wombat (Harry) and Helen the Helmeted Honeyeater (Luke) all join the show to talk about both their adventures in the book and genuine conservation concerns. It's a total hoot of a show! An Antechinus in the Attic is a conservation awareness campaign for children, as well as a joint fund-raising project with Jane Goodall’s Roots & Shoots Australia and the School Broadcasting Network Inc to support important conservation and youth projects nationwide and funds raised from book sales are also supporting other organisations’ urgent conservation projects around Australia, such as Save the Bilby Fund, Tree Roo Rescue and Friends of the Helmeted Honeyeater. Written by Viarnne Mischon and illustrated by Myke Mollard with a stirring call to action foreword by Dr Jane Goodall DBE, this stunning picture book was released on National Threatened Species Day on 7 September 2020. You can ORDER YOUR COPY via www.sbnpublishing.org - we'd really appreciate your support! The interactive audio e-book, and new extended version of the audio story will be released on National Threatened Species Day on 7 September 2021. From Gary Young's review "An Antechinus in the Attic offers up so many names and words to discover and explore and is a wonderful springboard into the world of Australia’s exotic animals, birds, insects, reptiles and flora. It is as informative and educational as it is witty and fun. So much to explore! I’m off to find out about the brush-tailed Bettong and the silver headed Antechinus!” GARY YOUNG  

19 APR 2020 · Esme, Reka and Sarah welcome new team mate Ssanyu from USA and the girls chat with new children's author Rick Foster, who has self-published the picture book 'Why Worry Wally' (illustrated by Jackie Case) to support children in coping with anxiety. For over 25 years Rick Foster forged an award winning career as a successful copywriter - creating compelling stories and messages that connected with people and really moved them. For 20 of those years he was founder and part-owner of Tank, a creative agency that focused on making a meaningful difference through their work. Then came a really challenging time for Rick, as he began to suffer from severe anxiety. This made him review his life in a new way and 3 years ago, Rick and his wife, who was also a partner in the company, decided to sell the business and take time to reflect on ‘what was next’. Whilst this period was the hardest time of his life, it also became the happiest, as it reignited Rick’s passion for writing, through pursuing something that he had really wanted to do since the birth of the first of his two beautiful daughters – write picture books! Rick is now a passionate advocate for mental health, and in December 2019 he self-published his first wonderful children’s book “Why Worry Wally”, which aims to give support and encouragement to children suffering from anxiety. https://www.rickfoster.com.au/why-worry-wally Keep in the loop with all SBN's youth media broadcasts and projects by follow our social media pages :-) www.facebook.com/MusicMattersRadio www.facebook/com/FunkyKidsRadio www.facebook.com/SwitchOnYourRadio www.facebook.com/SBNyouthmedia https://twitter.com/Funkykidsradio https://twitter.com/sbnyouthmedia