![George the Farmer with the edu-tainment brand founder Simone Kain all set for Book Week on July 17-23. Picture supplied George the Farmer with the edu-tainment brand founder Simone Kain all set for Book Week on July 17-23. Picture supplied](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/ya3tPqPRXYVuem2wchintR/667f105f-845d-42d7-ae2b-4478ea86117b.jpg/r0_0_4000_2258_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
George the Farmer is back for a third year to help educate children about where their food and fibre comes from in a fun and engaging way during this year's National Book Week on August 17-23.
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Backed by Rabobank's Rabo Community Fund, some 70 educational institutions across Australia will awarded with a collection of all 13 of George the Farmer's picture storybooks for their libraries.
The impressive collection includes stories with a focus on beef, wheat, sheep, dairy, bees, eggs, and vegetables in an agricultural context.
Rabobank head of community and client engagement Glenn Wealands said the book sets would contribute to enhancing awareness of food and fibre production in schools, potentially igniting interest among children about pursuing careers in agriculture.
"Each year we have been overwhelmed with applications from educational institutions - including primary schools, kindergartens, pre-schools, early learning centres or childcare centres - from across the country," Mr Wealands said.
"And to meet this demand, we're excited to be able to boost the number of complete collections of George the Farmer book bundles available up to 70 bundles, from 50 bundles last year.
It has been thrilling to see that level of interest from children, teachers and librarians in learning about agriculture."
George the Farmer began as an interactive story app in 2015, more than 600,000 children aged from four to 10 across Australia have had access to the free educational resources, covering diverse topics such as apples, chickpeas, wheat, wool, farm safety and dairy.
Founder Simone Kain has since expanded the brand to include virtual reality experiences, music, performances and paddock-to-plate videos available on YouTube and ABC iView, alongside free, curriculum-aligned educational resources.
"These free resources, focusing on STEAM subjects (science, technology, engineering, arts and maths), engage children in agricultural education in a dynamic and interactive manner," Ms Kain said.
Applications for the book sets close on July 21. CLICK HERE to apply.