Move over Harry Potter: Green and gold take over Book Week as students show Matildas love

The Australian women's football team inspired the nation with their history-making World Cup performance. Now, students are showing their pride for the Matildas at Book Week.

James Canning made his own Sam Kerr costume for Book Week. Source: Supplied / Simon Canning

For decades, Book Week has been a staple at Australian schools.

Each year, schools and libraries come together to celebrate authors, illustrators and books with literary-themed activities and dress-ups.

Iconic figures like Harry Potter, Alice in Wonderland and Pippi Longstocking regularly feature, along with popular superheroes and cartoon characters.

This year it looks a little different, with a wash of green and gold as students pay homage to the Matildas and their history-making performance in the FIFA Women's World Cup.

Simon Canning's son James put together a homemade football kit to dress as team captain Sam Kerr, who has authored a series of children's books.

According to Canning, the 12-year-old is not usually organised when planning a Book Week costume, and his costume is often decided in collaboration with his parents at the last minute.

"This time around, he said, 'I'm going as Sam Kerr'," Canning said.

"It's not quite like him, usually you have to do that for him, so it was good to see that he wanted to do that himself."

His cousins also dressed as Matildas players, one opting for a Mary Fowler costume - complete with gloves - and another opting for Steph Catley as a left-footer.

The Canning family have always been football fans, but have been following the Matildas' journey particularly closely over the last couple of years.

Sienna and Harry dressed as Matildas players Mary Fowler and Steph Catley for Book Week. Source: Supplied / Simon Canning

"When [James] was younger, he would go as Tim Cahill ... but he got right into the Women's World Cup and was super excited to watch it and get his sister involved, and she's only two," Canning said.

"It's captivated the nation and you have these female athletes who are supreme athletes [who] have caught the attention of these kids.

"And instead of being Tim Cahill, they're being Sam Kerr ... I hope it continues."

The Canning family are football fans and attended several games of the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup. Source: Supplied / Simon Canning

Saman Shad's seven-year-old son Nyle also dressed up as Kerr, along with about a quarter of the kids in his class, she said.

"He adores the Matildas, and Sam Kerr especially. He just thinks she's an amazing player," Shad said. "He wasn’t always into soccer, but he just really, really got into it as the Women's World Cup drew closer."

Shad, whose family is from a Pakistani background, said it was "so important" for Nyle to feel represented on the field, the screen and the world stage.

"I know that Sam [Kerr]’s grandfather came from India ... Nyle is half Pakistani. And so I think for any kid who is growing up and seeing someone who looks like them on the field and doing incredible things, it inspires them," Shad said.

Nyle Shad-Sharpe, seven, chose to dress up as Sam Kerr for book week because she has "the same skin colour and hair colour" as him.

"It's always been my hope, because I didn't see it growing up, that my kids get to see people who look like them in the sports fields, on TV, on screens represented everywhere."

Watching the way the younger generation has reacted and responded to the success of the women's teams, and the diversity they represent, has been "amazing", she added.

"When we were walking back from school and [Nyle] said to me, ‘Oh yeah, the reason I really like Sam is because she's got the same skin colour and hair colour as me,'" she said.

"That really touched me, because it's not something that I thought he was going out of his way to notice. But he clearly has noticed, so it's made a huge impact."