Meeting Andy Griffiths

The morning of March 5 was particularly wet in the city of Melbourne, but no amount of rain was about to dampen the enthusiasm of 170 children from four Ardoch partner schools visiting the State Library that day.

In the world of Australian Children’s books, author Andy Griffiths has superstar status. There was no mistaking the buzz in the air as the children took their seats, and they were soon rewarded as Andy took to the stage. The children were treated to an hour of Andy’s irreverent and hilarious style of storytelling from his new book in the award-winning Treehouse series, The 117 Storey Treehouse, in an interactive, lively session of fun and laughter. As a keepsake of the day, each child received a copy of the book, signed in person by Andy, and a ‘billion’ dollar note to take home.

The year two and three children were invited to attend the first of four ‘Story Talks’, hosted by the State Library and funded by Gandel Philanthropy. The talks are designed to help the children develop their creativity and appreciation for reading and storytelling, and to motivate their own reading and writing, by exposing them to popular Australian Children’s Authors.

The Ardoch children invited to participate were from Ardeer Primary, Mother of God Primary, Rivergum Primary and Wyndham Park Primary schools.

This is not the first time Ardoch partner schools have engaged with the work of Andy Griffiths. In 2018, nine Ardoch schools attended the 78 Storey Treehouse performances at Arts Centre Melbourne.

Ardoch schools are a natural fit for the Story Talks series, which is offered to schools who might not normally have the opportunity to participate. The program strongly aligns with Ardoch’s Broadening Horizons Culture Program while further developing and strengthening our relationship with the State Library.