Research has indicated a link between violent entertainment content and aggressive behaviour in children.
Studies have shown that children exposed to violent entertainment may become desensitised to other peoples pain, and are more likely to be aggressive and fearful. 

Children are influenced by role models both real and fictional. I believe that books and the role models in them, like their television, film, and game counterparts, also have the potential to influence the behaviour of children in both healthy and unhealthy ways.
 
The challenge for me and other parents has been to figure out if a book is suitable for a particular child without having to read the book.
 
As parents, we often take advantage of the excellent film classification ratings guide available on the internet http://www.classification.gov.au/resource.html?resource=866&filename=866.pdf . This guide allows parents to decide if a movie is likely to be suitable for viewing by individual children taking into account their age and maturity. The guide is much more convenient to parents than watching the movie first. 
 
Why not simply use the film ratings for BOOKS. Publishers could simply print the appropriate symbol on the book at the time of printing.
 
This ratings guide would allow parents and other interested people to be confident when giving books that the reading material is age and maturity appropriate.
 
It is in all our interests to help our children deal appropriately with our complex world. One of the keys to this process is to help ensure children deal with violence and adult appropriate issues when they have the maturity to do so.
 
The movie rating guide is already well understood by most people so would not require education of the public prior to launch.
 
Get involved today and make this goal a reality by encouraging members of parliament and the publishing industry to take up the cause.You'll find example templates of letters on our site.

Australia has historically had a reputation as a racist nation.

This reputation has been reinforced by: The old White Australia Policy and publicised through movies such as:

                ‘The Rabbit Proof Fence’, and Baz Luhrman’s film: ‘Australia’

These films and the whole situation are a call to action on two fronts from all Australians.

·         Firstly, to address the wrongs of the past. The Australian government has been working on this for years with mixed efficacy. Most recently the Rudd government issued an apology to the Aboriginal people, which helped the reconciliation movement gain momentum.  The Australian public is gradually becoming aware of what occurred in the past and the reconciliation movement is gaining traction in the wider community.

·         Secondly, to foster a more tolerant society and address the underlying causes of racial intolerance. The widespread publicity around the reconciliation movement, together with better understanding of others  is helping Australia move towards this goal

Addressing these issues involves many avenues and it is easy to be overwhelmed by the size of the task and the difference the small things can make.

The Patchwork Possum is aimed at task two, ‘fostering a more tolerant society’.

To explain our logic, an analogy will help:

Please cast your mind back to driving Australian roads in the sixties; specifically looking at the sides of the roads. Can you recall the terrible litter problem that saw most main roads as one long rubbish dump? The culture was for travellers to toss unwanted junk out of the window when travelling. Whilst foodstuffs broke down quickly, everything else just sat there and much of it found its way into our waterways.

Included in the government response was education of children. We recall talking in class about how disgusting this was and about the impact this junk was having on our environment including disease, and harm to native birds and animals etc.

Looking back now, it’s clear that society has changed. While our roads still aren’t perfect, the problem is vastly less today, and we believe, a direct result of the multi-pronged strategy used by governments of the day, especially through education.

It is our proposal to use integrated education to help foster tolerance of difference in Australian society today.  Integration is critical, as further pressure on the education system can result from including additional curriculum which acts to dilute core teaching. What does this mean? We will explain.

The children’s picture book, ‘The Patchwork Possum’ is aimed at lower primary students. As well as being cute and enjoyable, the book has a message of tolerance and says we are all the same because we are all different in some way. The book includes the impact on those who are not accepted and the importance of accepting others. The idea is embedded in a story where the children feel the misery of the Patchwork Possum’s rejection, and the children also share the delight when he is accepted.

The book can be integrated into normal classroom reading and therefore not dilute the curriculum. In addition to being a reading book however, the book is a great talking point and conversation starter, allowing those teachers that wish to take up the opportunity to discuss the issue of tolerance with their young students.

Reading of the book will help encourage younger Australians to respect those different to themselves. This gentle strategy can be an extremely cost effective way to encourage positive societal change.

If even 1 child per school develops a tolerance for others as a result of reading this book, the purchase will have been justified, but more likely many children will be influenced and in conjunction with other teaching, much greater results could be expected.

The Patchwork Possum was always meant to be much more than just a delightful children’s picture book. As well as leaving you smiling on the inside, the little Possum brings a message that we are all different and in that difference is strength and better perspectives. We should cherish one another for our differences just as we cherish one another for our similarities. This second message is for children and adults. Instilling an acceptance by children of those different to themselves may help to build a better world tomorrow. This is the task of the Patchwork Possum. Children are our future. This charming children’s book is being printed now and should be available late January 2009.