BIG Sky Stories on Argent Street isn’t just a children’s bookshop.
In fact, founder Jane Vaughan’s vision for the space came from her background as a teacher in Sydney and the Far West, which opened her eyes to the lack of opportunity regional kids have to engage with language literacy experiences compared to city kids.
“In urban places these things exist, like going to see a show at the theatre or having cultural experience excursions, because it’s only half an hour down the road rather than 12 hours,” Ms Vaughan said.
“I just felt it was kind of unfair that kids and young people in the Far West and many regional and remote areas can’t easily access some of those things, and yet the world has really gone in the direction of: you can’t succeed if you can’t read or write.”
Ms Vaughan said when she noticed these gaps in opportunity, she felt responsible to be the person the do something about it.
“I had a very privileged experience in my childhood of people who loved books, cared about books, read to me and encourage it,” she said.
“I think if you’ve had those experiences, for me anyway, I feel quite responsible to share that and pass it on in some way.”
In 2022, Ms Vaughan opened Big Sky Stories, a curated bookshop for children and as a creative space that hosts workshops and events such as readings that encourage participation through music, theatre, puppets, shared reading and more.
“We do a kind of drama literacy style where we take half an hour to read a book, but we stop and move and we talk about it as reading with our whole body,” Ms Vaughan said.
“Not just sitting and being passive, but becoming the characters, making decisions before they happen in the book.”
Ms Vaughan also travels to schools throughout the Far West to run active reading workshops with students, and hosts professional development workshops to support educators.
She said Big Sky Stories was built to be responsive to the community and the needs of the people who live in the Far West, and was a community space for anyone who wanted to further engage with literacy.
“It opens up a lot of doors and that shouldn’t be out of reach for anybody, no matter your economic status,” she said.
“Success shouldn’t be inaccessible to anyone.
“If we’re open and there’s nothing on, you’re welcome to bring a coffee and come work here, we can give you the wi-fi password, or you can come and read.
“It’s a community space as well. We really encourage people to come and have a wander and a look.”
Ms Vaughan said the most rewarding part of Big Sky Stories was when children felt comfortable in and ownership over the space.
“I’ve heard little people go past with their grandparents and say, that’s my shop!” she said.
“That’s the best thing, when children recognise that this is their space, not a space where we have kids books. Big Sky Stories is about children and their love and connection to storytelling and language and this is here for them.”
