As the Matilda’s prepare for tonight’s match, Georgia Strobel has some advice for ECEC

Freya Lucas

Aug 16, 2023

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As the Matildas prepare to take to the field tonight, a new study from University of South Australia (UniSA) Master of Teaching graduate and former bookseller Georgia Strobel has reviewed how sport is represented in children’s and young people’s literature.

Assessing 90 books/book series (comprising 200+ individual fiction books) published since 1996, she found more than 50 per cent of books about sport were co-authored by a sportsperson and that nearly a third (31 per cent) had a culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) contributing author.

Additionally, 75 per cent of CALD authors were Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander peoples, and 47 per cent of books had at least one female contributing author.

Her findings are a positive way to head into Children’s Book Week (19-25 Aug), where the theme is ‘Read, grow, inspire.’

“When people from difficult cultures are represented positively in books it presents a powerful message about achievement and belonging. This is important in a multicultural country like Australia,” Ms Strobel says.

“Children learn about the world through books. They can spark imagination, stimulate curiosity, and inspire. Children’s aspirations are often shaped by what they are exposed to. The more diversity and cultural inclusion we see in books and in all facets of life, the more likely it is that children will see themselves reflected in texts and in the world.”

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