The school has introduced the program Books in Homes Australia.

Griffith Public School teacher Denise McGann said the vision of the program was to re-awaken a sense of wonder in children and excitement in parents by creating an Australia where every child and family has access to books-of-choice at home.

She said Griffith Public School was able to join the Books in Homes program thanks to the generous support from the Bennelong Foundation.

Every pupil in kinder to year 3 received a book pack with three books of their choice at the school’s first special Books in Homes Assembly.

Griffith City Library’s joint manager, Pam Young, attended the assembly and presented the books to the pupils.

“Everyone had lots of fun and the children were very excited,” Ms McGann said.

“We had parents join us and the children were very keen to open their book packs and share their books with teachers, parents and friends.

“The students were thrilled to be taking their books home to their families.”

She said the school wanted to thank Books in Homes and the Bennelong Foundation for their generous support.

Books in Homes Australia was founded on the realisation that failure in adult life often stems from childhoods spent in homes without books.

Children who cannot read, become adults who cannot communicate and this is unacceptable in a world that operates on the written word.

Books in Homes Australia provides books-of-choice to families and children, ensuring crucial early literacy engagement and the development of reading skills needed for lifelong success.

Twenty five per cent of titles on offer are either written or illustrated by Indigenous creators.

Research states offering children a choice in the books that they would like to read leads to a higher level of motivation and more positive attitudes towards reading.

Further, for children and families that find reading difficult, it enables them to choose books that interest them, and read at their own pace.

This increases the likelihood that they will finish reading a book and as a result gain confidence and motivation to read more.

Also, by selecting books that interest them, levels of achievement and persistence increase. Research also has shown that being read to as a child and having books in the home are two of the most important indicators of future academic success.

The World Health Organization states that if a child spends their first six months to three years in an environment less conducive to learning, brain development is affected.