New Zealand’s most loved children’s authors and illustrators are being live-streamed to hundreds of classrooms around the country as a free reading initiative designed to combat declining literacy rates and spark a lifelong love of reading takes off.

More than 7000 children in over 230 classrooms and libraries around the country recently tuned into a live, online reading with award-winning children’s author and illustrator Gavin Bishop.

Bishop, who last month was awarded the Margaret Mahy Book of the Year at the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults, read from his award-winning book Atua: Māori Gods and Heroes, and took spellbound students through his creative and illustrative process; showing step by step how he creates his books, as well as offering a glimpse into his studio and incredible back catalogue of children’s literature.

The reading was the fourth in the HELL’s Great NZ Book Trip, a new extension to the annual HELL Reading Challenge - run in partnership with the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults. As well as live author readings, teachers have access to free resources and lesson plans designed by educational experts to promote a lifelong love of reading in children. Since the Challenge’s inception, almost four million books have been read by participating Kiwi kids.

Remarkables Primary School teacher Angela Thompson and her classes have attended all the live author readings this year. She says interactions with authors and illustrators can be instrumental in instilling a love of reading in students, as well as prompting them to see themselves as writers too.

“As a school, we’ve always been passionate about author and illustrator interaction and the positive effect this has on literacy. An author talking through their writing process is so valuable to our students. Many of our classes tune in, and our library always has an increase in requests for author titles after each talk,” she says.

Angela says the school’s Year 5 and 6 classes have attended all the live readings in the HELL Great NZ Book Trip, which has formed a positive link to learning when it comes to reading and writing.

“These kinds of programmes are vital and inspiring. Declining literacy rates cannot improve if students do not want to read or write. Connections to authors and illustrators support a love of literacy in our students, which cannot be found anywhere else. We are so lucky in Aotearoa to have so many amazing authors and illustrators who want to connect with our students, make a difference and inspire the next generation,” she says.

HELL CEO Ben Cumming says they’ve been absolutely amazed by the incredibly positive response to the Great NZ Book Trip, which only launched in April and is already seeing an increased uptake in the Reading Challenge, which is free to any schools or libraries that want to participate.

“Since 2014, children have read almost four million books as part of the Reading Challenge - it’s become one of New Zealand’s most successful - and free - reading initiatives. Fostering a love of reading early has life-long positive impacts, so we’re really pleased even more schools and libraries are joining us this year on the Great NZ Book Trip,” he says.

Authors Tania Roxborogh, Selina Marsh, and Kate Parker, all past winners at the NZ Book Awards for Children and Young Adults, have appeared in live readings since April. The next live author reading will feature regular finalist Donovan Bixley in September. Schools and libraries can sign up for the Reading Challenge and Great NZ Book Trip for free here.