Anzac Day is a day of remembrance, honouring Australian and New Zealanders who have sacrificed their lives and contributed to peacekeeping efforts. Help children of all ages understand the lives and roles of Anzacs through our digital picture book collection, and engage young kids further via our Reading Challenge.

Further stories and Classroom Ideas for Anzac Day can be found via the 'ANZAC History' advanced theme filter in the Classroom Ideas area of the Resources section, only available to active Story Box Library subscribers.

Our Anzac Day story release for 2023 is This Old Thing, written by Cassandra Webb, illustrated by Tony Flowers and read by Roby Favretto. When a young boy is asked to bring an object to contribute to his class Anzac project, he finds all kinds of old things—some wildly exciting, others more confusing. But a faded, forgotten photograph of his great-great-grandfather makes sense of everything...

Encourage young kids to enhance their knowledge of Anzac Day by participating in the Story Box Library Reading Challenge in four easy steps:

  1. Watch the story read.

  2. Learn more with Short Films.

  3. Play with Activity Time.

  4. Borrow and discover more!

Download a full pack of Anzac Day Holiday Reading Challenge resources, including reading checklist, bookmarks and certificate of completion.

  1. Watch the story read

Find dedicated titles via the ‘Anzac Day stories’ playlist on your Story Box Library account dashboard, suitable for all age groups, including: This Old Thing, Midnight: The Story of a Light Horse, Alfred’s War, The Happiness Box, Anzac Ted, Anzac Biscuits, Lone Pine, One Minute’s Silence, Once a Shepherd, I Was Only Nineteen.

  1. Learn more with Short Films.

Find Short Films on a range of themes, including behind-the-scenes looks at storytellers such as Colonel John Molnar, who read our 2021 Anzac Day release, Midnight: The Story of a Light Horse. Learn more about his story.

  1. Play with Activity Time.

Most titles on Story Box Library come with Activity Time, instructional PDFs and videos linked to story themes, narratives, characters and more, inspiring young minds to get creative after watching the story read. Discover Activity Time instructions via the ‘Activities’ tab on each story page. Find the Activity Time video for Midnight: The Story of a Light Horse here.

  1. Borrow and discover more!

Story Box Library connects families with a world of stories by extending your library’s collection anywhere there’s an internet connection and also encouraging them to visit their library and connect with their communities. After watching the stories, young readers can then go further by borrowing the books or other related titles from the library and inserting a bookmark review for the next borrower to find.