The Truck Cat Takes The Wheel

Celebrating 25 years of National Simultaneous Storytime

On Wednesday 21 May 2025 millions of children, teachers, parents, caregivers and members of the community will come together to participate in Australian Library and Information Association’s (ALIA) National Simultaneous Storytime (NSS) – one of Australia’s largest interactive events aimed at promoting the value of reading and literacy using an Australian children's book.

This is a very special year for NSS as it celebrates its 25th anniversary. NSS began in 2001 as an initiative during Library and Information Week to promote the value of reading and literacy in primary school aged children. The concept is simple but powerful: every year, on a designated day and time, libraries, schools, early learning centres, families, and communities across Australia read the same book simultaneously.

This year’s selected book The Truck Cat – written by Deborah Frenkel, illustrated by Danny Snell, and published by Hardie Grant – was selected by an expert panel of children’s and youth librarians all of whom praised the book for its meditation on themes such as home, loneliness, migration, love and even food. These themes unfold against the backdrop of Danny Snell’s elegant and evocative illustrations and of course through the story of one very courageous cat and his owner.

Over the years, NSS has featured a wide range of picture books written and illustrated by Australians, including titles like The Magic Hat written by Mem Fox and illustrated by Tricia Tusa, Too Many Elephants in this House by Ursula Dubosarsky and illustrated by Andrew Joyner, and The Cow Tripped Over the Moon by Tony Wilson. In 2021, the event went truly astronomical, as Give Me Some Space! By Philip Bunting was read by astronaut Dr. Shannon Walker from the International Space Station.

NSS is also a crucial opportunity to highlight the role libraries play in nurturing a lifelong love of reading. “From story time sessions to literacy programs and curated collections, libraries provide invaluable support for developing reading skills and igniting imaginations” says Cathie Warburton, ALIA CEO. “It is an undeniable demonstration of how libraries bring stories to life and connect communities through the power of reading."

Once again, ALIA has developed a range of resources and merchandise to support the thousands of NSS activities that will take place leading up to and on the day. The official live event for the 25th National Simultaneous Storytime will take place at Springvale Library, Springvale VIC, on Wednesday 21 May 12pm where 100 students from local schools will attend a live reading of the book by Deborah Frenkel.

Registrations are open until 10 am on the day of the event. Participants can visit the NSS page on the ALIA website to join in.

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