About Us

Jay Laga’aia

When I was a kid, Dad told me the best stories because he was great at telling myths and legends.

A really fun place to read anywhere, anytime with my child is at the kitchen bench in my house.

Liz Ellis

When I was a kid, my dad told me the best stories because he brought them to life by giving characters their own funny voices. Reading was my special time with my dad each night before bed.

A really fun place to read anywhere, anytime with my child is on the couch with her snuggled on my lap. It is very rare that she sits still, so I treasure reading time because it’s one of the few moments I get to cuddle her for more than 10 seconds!

Alan Brough – ABC Radio and TV host

When I was a kid, Dad told me the best stories because he was great at doing different voices. A really fun place to read anywhere, anytime with my child is in our big chair with the bird on it.

Alicia Gardiner – Actor: Offspring

When I was a kid my father told me the best stories because he would always add extra twists and turns to each story, with sound effects, actions and even characters that didn't exist within the pages. He continues this today with his grandchildren and they become just as mesmerised as I did!

A really fun place to read anywhere, anytime with my children is when we are reading by torchlight, or snuggled up next to an open fire, while we're camping. So much fun!

Alison Cratchley – Actress: Home & Away, All Saints

When I was a kid, my mum told me the best stories because they were full of adventures with great possibilities and an underlining moral to the story.

Cameron Daddo – Actor, Presenter, Singer/Songwriter

When I was a kid, my dad told me the best stories because he would throw in accents and become quite animated. I am sure that he used to make them up as he went on and when he was done, we'd beg for more.

A really fun place to read anywhere, anytime with my child is on a trampoline with cushions and blankets. My favourite time to read to the kids is bedtime. It's usually quiet and I find it such a great way to bring the day to a close.

Camille Keenan – Actor: Packed to the Rafters and Rush

When I was a kid, my sister told me the best stories because she wrote them herself at school.

A really fun place to read anywhere, anytime with my child is just after bath time when he's relaxed and enjoying a cuddle.

Chloe Hooper – Author

When I was a kid, my father told me the best stories because he’d write and illustrate home-made books full of great adventures in which my younger brother and I starred.  

A really fun place to read anywhere, anytime with my child is at the table! A good story can distract him while I spoon in more vegetables!

Colette Mann – Actress

When I was a kid, my father told me the best stories because he always tucked me in bed at night.

A really fun place to read anywhere, anytime with my children was when we were travelling longish distances in the car—and I wasn’t driving of course!

David Collins – one half of the Umbilical Brothers

When I was a kid, my grandmother told me the best stories because she would make them up. Every story starred Tomcat, the neighbourhood cat who got up to all kinds of mischief. My siblings and I would sit enthralled as Nanna would get as much pleasure inventing the story as we did hearing it. These stories went for ages in my head. It was years later I found out they went for no longer than a minute.

A really fun place to read anywhere, anytime with my children is anywhere, anytime.

David Tredinnick – Actor

When I was a kid, my mum and dad told me the best stories because they loved me.

A really fun place to read anywhere, anytime with my child is while we’re having a cuddle.

George Donikian – News Presenter/Broadcaster

When I was a kid, my mother Vivian would read to me in Greek. My great grandmother Marise always told me the best stories, because she had that wonderful ability or quality in storytellers which is to engage—she did this with my brother Stephen and me.

A really fun place to read anywhere, anytime with my child was in the backyard of our house. The best place was on a swing which used to hang between two gorgeous trees in a beautiful garden—a garden of memories, stories and much laughter.

Gorgi Coghlan – Ten Network Presenter

When I was a kid my beautiful grandmother Kathleen told me the best stories because her childhood and upbringing seemed like a faraway land to me. She would talk of horse-drawn buggies, dancing with Grandad and riding her horse in the paddocks. For me, listening to Grandma's stories was a special time we'd share together and it was my chance to have Grandma all on my own.

A really fun place to read anywhere, anytime with my child is just before bed, when the lights are low, we're snuggled together on the couch and we enter the special land of reading! Reading together is something we both cherish and love; it's a chance to discover magic and learn about friendship, Mother Nature, emotions and what makes us happy.

Jaquelyn Muller - Children's Author

When I was a kid, my Oma (Dutch for grandmother), told me the best stories because she would tell me what it was like bringing up seven children as new immigrants to Australia. They never had much money, but the antics and tricks they played on each other sounded like an old black and white movie about these mischievous children. The food fight story was my favourite!

While I like reading anywhere with my girls, my favourite place is definitely in bed. It allows us to snuggle down and indulge my most ridiculous character voices, which the girls still seem to love. Even Millie (aka ‘the worst best dog in the world’) enjoys joining in.

Janine Allis – Boost Juice Founder

When I was a kid, my sister told me the best stories because they were not edited by parents, so they were really scary and half the time they scared the begeezes out of me.

A really fun place to read anywhere, anytime with my child is in their bed, when they are relaxed and tucked in for the night. It is where they can let their imagination take them to anywhere in the world or universe and makes them smile when they close their eyes.

Jeremy Lindsay Taylor – Actor: Puberty Blues and Bikie Wars

When I was a kid, my beautiful mum told me the best stories because she has always been an insatiable reader and she wanted to ignite the imaginations of myself and my brother and sister.

A really fun place to read anywhere, anytime with my child is our antique grandfather chair. Sitting in it together reading a story, you can sense the history and if the chair could speak, I'm sure it would have some amazing stories of its own!

Jeanette Rowe – Children’s Author/Illustrator

When I was a kid, my father told me the best stories because he made up his own whacky versions of traditional tales. What was really special was, he loved doing all the sound effects. My sisters and I would belly laugh in our beds, until the tears ran down our happy faces. These are good memories, I will treasure forever.

A really fun place to read anywhere, anytime with my child is lying on the grass in the park looking up to the sky through the trees. This is the absolute best place to read Wind in the Willows! If you can find a park with a pond or lake, it’s even better!

Jules Lund – FOX FM Radio host

When I was a kid, my nanna told me the best stories. In fact I still have the books she read to me from.

A really fun place to read anywhere, anytime with my child is in her teepee, where we hide from the world.

Kat Stewart – Actor

When I was a kid, my mother told me the best stories because she was never too embarrassed to use silly voices. She always made books and stories fun.

A really fun place to read anywhere, anytime with my child is in the car or in his pusher. He loves looking at books on his own when travelling and then when we've stopped he'll point to his favourite pages and we'll look at them together.

Kate Ceberano – Singer

When I was a kid, my grandmother told me the best stories because she would put so much life into each and every character, and also her voice had a soothing quality that made me feel safe.

A really fun place to read anywhere, anytime with my child is upstairs winding down after a really big day of activity! My husband, Gypsy and I pile into one bed like the three little bears.

Kate Langbroek – Nova Breakfast Presenter

When I was a kid, my school library told me the best stories because we lived in Papua New Guinea and had no TV. Books became my closest and most faithful friends.

A really fun place to read anywhere, anytime with my children is bed! Everyone can lounge around and be comfy, and there's always the chance of a pillow fight!

Kerry Brown

When I was a kid, my dad told me the best stories because he had a great imagination and loved to get up to mischief!

A really fun place to read anywhere, anytime with my child is in one of their many pillow and blanket cubby houses. It's the best place to share a story, have a chat and enjoy an extra loooong cuddle!

Leah Purcell – Actress: Redfern Now

When I was a kid, my mum told me the best stories because she was a great storyteller. She always made them up. She didn’t read to me as such but through her telling me stories, I learnt to use my imagination. So when I read books, I see the story which makes reading so much more enjoyable for me. 

A really fun place to read anywhere, anytime with my grandchildren is on my lap—a space that is always available to them when they bring me their favourite book!

Leigh Sales – ABC 7.30 Anchor

When I was a kid, I made up my own stories! I was always writing crazy stories and reading them to my best friend.

A really fun place to read anywhere, anytime with my son is in a rocking chair in his room. He likes to turn the pages and he especially loves textile books.

Livinia Nixon – Nine Network Presenter

When I was a kid, Mum used to read to all three of us kids at once. Due to the age difference, I was exposed to books that interested my older brothers and I loved being treated older than I was. I remember we read I am David about a boy escaping from Nazi Germany. I was about eight years old and incredulous that it was based on real events. It was an eye opener and inspired a love of reading.

A really fun place to read anywhere, anytime with my child is at the end of the day, cuddled up on the couch. Henry is so snuggly and we talk about the books, what might happen next and any similar experiences that he’s had. I also think it’s important to read to kids at breakfast as they are more alert and absorb more information.

Lucinda Dunn – Australian Ballet Principal

When I was a kid my grandma told me the best stories because we used to sit on a picnic rug under a mandarin tree in the backyard.

A really fun place to read anywhere, anytime with my child is by night light before bed, reading a fairy tale.

Madeleine Eastoe – Australian Ballet Principal

When I was a kid, Granddad Bob told me the best stories because they were tales from his life. He had a wooden leg and would make up stories about how he came to lose it. Imagination is a big part of storytelling and reading so I appreciated his input.

A really fun place to read anywhere, anytime with my child is anywhere and anytime she has the urge to hear a story. I’m very lucky her interest and enthusiasm for books are strong so we read a lot. The favourite spot is in bed before she goes to sleep and we pick between 2-5 stories.

Maria Theodorakis – Actor

When I was a kid, my grandfather told me the best stories because he loved to tell them. He was enthusiastic, committed, with an understanding for pace, tension and his audience: me, at around six years old.

A really fun place to read anywhere, anytime with my child is on my bed, shoes off, sharing a pillow, each choosing a book, doing silly voices for each character.

Michael Rowland – Presenter ABC News Breakfast, ABC 1/ABC News 24

When I was a kid, my mum and dad always took the time to read to me. Blinky Bill by Dorothy Wall was an early favourite! That fostered in me a deep love of reading which continues to this day.

I've read everywhere with my two children—loungerooms, parks, planes, trains, cafes. But my favourite place has always been lying on their beds at the end of the day. The only problem is that not only do they drift off to sleep, so do I!

Michael Wagner – Author

When I was a kid, my very first school principal (of all people!) told me the best stories. At school assembly, he told stories that had morals and lessons in them. I found them very interesting. Even though I was very young at the time, his stories made me feel like I was learning many very important life lessons.

I personally think anywhere is a fun place to read, but one of my very favourite places is in an 'inside cubby'—one of those ones made from sheets draped over chairs and tables and things. If you can get it really dark in there, you will have to read by torch light. That will make it the perfect place to read scary stories. Darkness and torch light adds heaps of extra scariness. Yay!  

Nathan Lovett-Murray – AFL Player, Essendon Football Club

When I was a kid, Mum told me the best stories because they were funny.

A really fun place to read anywhere, anytime with my child is in the bedroom.

Pip Norman, AKA Countbounce – Musician/MC

When I was a kid, my dad told me the best stories because each telling was delivered with some new twist which gave it a sense of spontaneity, in a voice like a golden age radio star, and the so-called 'true stories' seemed to come out a bit different each time.

A really fun place to read anywhere, anytime with my child is on the toilet! It's a good way to get them sitting on the loo and enjoying the age-old tradition of taking one's precious time with a good book! I used to keep a copy of Finnegans Wake beside the toilet, but these days it’s more likely to be Mulga Bill's Bicycle.

Rebecca Judd – Channel 9 Postcards Presenter

When I was a kid, my mother told me the best stories. She introduced me to Enid Blyton which made me fall in love with books and reading.

A really fun place to read anywhere, anytime with my child is on the couch. He sits on my lap as I read to him the stories and fairy tales I loved as a child.

Rhys Muldoon – Actor: House Husbands

When I was a kid, many troubled, beautiful authors told me the best stories because they are the most important adventurers our soul requires.

A really fun place to read anywhere, anytime with my child is at night, when demons are lurking and angels must prevail. It's the time to create beautiful unforgotten dreams.

Russell Fletcher – Actor

When I was a kid, Mum told me the best stories because they made me laugh. A sense of humour is one of the best things to teach a kid.

A really fun place to read anywhere, anytime with my child is anywhere, anytime: on the couch, at the table, in bed, at the cafe, or in our new hammock!

Ryan Moloney, AKA Toadie from Neighbours

My kids love it when I read stories to them because I put on voices and they laugh when I can't do them! They always get to choose the story, so it's their choice what adventure we go on.

A really fun place to read anywhere, anytime with my kids is at bedtime. I get to spend quality time with them and it helps to calm them down after their day and get them ready for bed. I love hearing my daughter read. When you hear her struggling with words, working them out, comprehending ideas, it gives her a real sense of accomplishment and I get to share in that.

Sam Riley

When I was a kid, my dad told me the best stories. He came to Australia from England on his own at 18 and it seemed like such an exciting journey. He travelled around the country and worked at so many different places. He made it sound quite exciting, like a big adventure!

I have three children aged 3, 8 and 9 and they all love to be read to. They have grown accustomed to a bedtime story every night.

Shelley Craft – The Block and Australia’s Funniest Home Videos Presenter

When I was a kid, my uncle told me the best stories because he was fabulous at doing funny character voices.

A really fun place to read anywhere, anytime with my girls is wherever they are happy to sit still. Sometimes it's the bath, sometimes it is smack bang in the middle of the lounge room floor.

Tony Jones – Nine News Presenter

When I was a kid, my teachers told me the best stories because they were so passionate in their story-telling. Also, they had a captive audience!

A really fun place to read anywhere, anytime with my child is at home, in the lounge room, with the television off (except between 6pm and 6.30pm).