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Turbo Turtle

Nov17
Turbo Turtle

Turbo Turtle

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Turbo Turtle

Gregg Dreise

Magabala Books, 2025

32pp., hbk., RRP $A27.99

9781922864109

During the Dreamtime, a time on the planet that was even before Once-upon-a-time time, a little lizard hatched from his egg and wandered off from the shelter of the shadowy bushes to search for his parents.  But instead of finding them, he is swooped up by his tail by an eagle and carried far away from his home. The little lizard squiggled and squirmed and his tail broke off, and as the eagle soared on thinking it still held its prey, the lizard fell to Mother Earth, terrified.

Luckily for him, Biamme heard his cries and made a soft landing for him, and looked after him until he found his family, naming him Warrabah after the Warrah season.  Despite Biamme’s care though, Warrabah missed his family and he and Biamme set out to find them, hoping to hear the same language that Warrabah remembered hearing inside the egg.  To help, Biamme gave Warrabah the magic that would make him turbo-charged but also told him that he needed to ask the Elders permission to travel their lands.  

But Warrabah is impatient and forgets to show respect to Country and the Elders. And, for that there are consequences that change him forever…

This is the fourth book in the Scales and Tales series – the others are Lethal Lizards, Fast Fish and Super Snake – by this  proud descendant of the Goomelroi/Kamilaroi and Euahlayi people of south-west Queensland and north-west New South Wales whose many stories have shone a light on First Nations beliefs and heritage for our young readers.  But they are more than just a story about the origins of our native creatures for each has an underlying message that relates to human behaviour – in this case, it’s about actions and consequences, and how those consequences can change our pathway forward, even our lives, so that we find where we belong – and how that reinforces the connection to Country that guides today’s First Nations generations.  Dreise expands on the origins of this story and its implications on the final page, offering an opportunity for astute teachers to encourage students to consider why an author wrote a particular story and what message they are trying to pass on.  Although not all stories have such an intrinsic message, nevertheless this is a chance to get students to start thinking more critically about what they are reading.  Was it fair/right that Warrabah had to face the Boreen? Was it a reasonable consequence for his behaviour? What did he learn from it? How did it change him?  Was that a change for the better? What can they learn from both Warrabah and the story? Although they might not face the spears that Warrabah did, what sorts of consequences do they face for lack of respect, poor decisions and choices?  Should they face them? What “shields” do they have that can protect them if they find themselves having to face the consequences of their own actions?

Bapa’s Last Canoe

Oct27
Bapa’s Last Canoe

Bapa’s Last Canoe

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bapa’s Last Canoe

Maree McCarthy Yoelu

Samantha Campbell

Magabala Books, 2025

32pp., hbk., RRP $A27.99

9781922777775

As his two oldest daughters reach high school age. Bapa Liman and his wife make the difficult decision to leave their traditional Country and move to the city so they can have a better education and better opportunities. And so Bapa a respected traditional canoe maker makes one last canoe from the kapok tree and the family set off on a long canoe ride to connect to family and Country for the last time.  On the way they sing, tell stories, fish, listen,  look and laugh and at night they camp out and meet family, fish, roast periwinkles and longbums on the fire – making memories and connections that will carry them through their city life until it is time to return again.  For even though Bapa sets the canoe free on the waves when their journey is done, they now they will return to Country eventually.

This is a poignant story of farewell, made moreso because it is true because those girls are the author’s mother and aunties and Bapa, her grandfather – and so such a move was a much bigger deal in the 50s and 60s than it is today.   (Bapa was born in 1916 and it wasn’t until 27 May 1967,  that the Constitution was changed so that  Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples would be counted as part of the population and recognised as citizens.)

Even though this is the author’s personal story and it reinforces that particular enduring connection to Country that is such an integral part of the lives of First Nations peoples, it also has a relevance to many of our students who, at this time of the year, particularly, are about to leave behind much of what is familiar to them as they move on to high school, either local or not, or are just moving to a new town altogether.  While they might not be able to go on a long sea journey to say farewell, they too will be experiencing the same sorts of emotions that Bapa and his granddaughters do.  So while on the surface this might appear to be a book for younger children, it could be the ideal discussion starter to help our older students open up about their memories, their connections and even their trepidation about their next chapter.

Sometimes it is the seemingly simple stories that can open the biggest doors or reflect the strongest situations.

 

Prayer for a River

Oct13
Prayer for a River

Prayer for a River

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Prayer for a River

Uncle Glenn Loughrey & Andrew Kelly

Wild Dog, 2025

32pp., hbk., RRP $A24.99

9781742036915

River brings life.
River brings us together.
River holds the stories.

In what seems like a deceptively simple text, this is a homage to one of Mother Nature’s most complex stories.  

Beginning with a shower of rain whose drops are captured and savoured by the land, joining to eventually form a river that flows from the mountains to the sea, bringing life to all it touches, spilling into the ocean where the sun helps the cycle repeat itself over and over,  the reader is not only reminded of that natural cycle but also how the river is the lifeblood of the land, how it connects all living things and deserves both appreciation and respect.

While both authors have deep, personal connections to Birrrung/Yarra , Kelly having been its Riverkeeper for many years, this is the story of any river and how it connects and carries the stories of Country between and beyond its banks, its strength growing as it does and its importance depicted in the addition of colour to the illustrations as it brings life to all that it touches moving from the “simple” image of drops falling and gathering of the front cover to a landscape that it is flourishing because of its influence and impact.

From this initial introduction to the importance of water and rivers to life itself, expressed in a way that even the youngest readers will understand from both the First Nations and the modern perspective,  comes the implication that our waterways need to be protected, thus opening up the perfect opportunity to investigate local creeks and rivers, how they connect and support the land and its living, and what is being done to ensure they continue to run free and pristine.  Teachers’ notes facilitate the sorts of questions that could be explored. 

As the alpine snows melt after what has been described as a “bumper season”, and the creeks and rivers start to swell and flow with vigour again, this is the perfect timing for sharing this book and focusing on your local waterway, its origins and destination, regardless of what point of its journey you live. Perhaps even have students seek local citizen science projects to be involved in (or begin one)and create a display that introduces other stories in a similar vein such as Rivertime by Trace Balla, On the River by Roland Harvey, Song of the River by Joy Cowley, and Wilam, another jointly authored by Andrew Kelly, so that the inevitable annual study of the water cycle becomes more personal and meaningful.   

Something special and unique that offers so much more than it first appears. 

The legendary Snowy River - its journeys, its stories...

The legendary Snowy River – its journeys, its stories…

 

Going for Pippies

Sep25
Going for Pippies

Going for Pippies

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Going for Pippies

Wilaaran Hunter Laurie

Tori-Jay Mordey

Magabala Books, 2025

32pp., hbk.,  RRP $A27.99

9781922864147

That particular time of day when the tide is on the turn and  all the family members gather at the beach to search for seafood.  And for five-year-old Wilaaran, it is time to learn the special knowledge that has been passed through generations for thousands of years – how to do the pippi dance, which is not some new craze learned on Tik Tok but a feet-squishing, heel-digging, hip-twisting set of moves in the shallows where the waves break that will detect the shellfish ready to be gathered.  Wilaaran is unsure about the waves so he sits on the shore waiting to collect what the others find in his bucket. Soon his bucket contains enough to feed the whole family and, after returning the small ones to the ocean so they have more time to grow, they head home for a meal of pipi fritters…

Written when he was just five himself, this is an authentic story that many other readers and reviewers will comment about its literary and artistic merit, but. for me, it brought back special memories of doing just what Wilaaran did when I was his age but thousands of kilometres away on Oreti Beach at the tip of New Zealand’s South Island in the post-war years of the early 1950s. Led by a group of dads who had all served overseas in World War II (and, in hindsight it was probably therapeutic for them to process their PTSD because they never spoke about it with their wives – “If you weren’t there, you wouldn’t understand and you don’t need to know”), families would gather at a certain part of the beach at a certain time of the month, laden down with gear because few had cars in those days and prepare to hunt for tea, just as Wilaaran’s mob did.  The men themselves would venture into deeper water armed with flounder nets to catch the delicious flatfish while the women and children would do the pipi dance just in case the nets were empty when they were dragged in.  And, on occasions, instead of pipis we would get toheroa, an even greater delicacy because Oreti Beach was one of a handful of places they lived beyond the North Island. 

But this book brings back more than just memories for me – for just as it tells of a tradition that goes back so many generations for Wilaaran’s family using knowledge passed down and across from one to another, and reinforcing their connection to Country, it also shows that other cultures pass on similar knowledge to their upcoming generation.  How did those men know which days to go to Oreti Beach and where,  along its 26lm length, to cast their nets?  So while the Geography strand of the Australian HASS Curriculum for the early years focuses specifically on that special connection that First Nations Australians have to Country, this beguiling book not only addresses that but also offers the chance for young readers to share their experiences of the particular things that their families do that have always been done, especially recipes for foods that are commonly shared at important times for them.  

For me, the best books for little ones offer ways that they can connect to the story, and while they might not relate directly to Wilaaran’s memory, they will have a story of their own to tell. That, alone, makes it an essential addition to the collection.

How Big Is Love?

Sep23
How Big Is Love?

How Big Is Love?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How Big Is Love?

Carl Merrison & Hakea Hustler

Jade Goodwin

Lothian Children’s, 2025

32pp., hbk., RRP $A24.99

 9780734420176

When Big Nutbrown Hare declared to Little Nutbrown Hare, ‘I love you right up to the moon – AND BACK’, in Guess How Much I Love You, author Sam McBratney gave the world one of the most quoted lines from a children’s story book in a long time.

Now, Australian children, particularly those with First Nations heritage, have their own version as grandmother and child sit on the porch, snuggled under a patchwork quilt at sunset watching a storm roll in. When the grandmother whispers, ‘I love you,’ the child needs reassurance: ‘How much?’ And with each new declaration stretching further and further beyond the child’s vision as the child repeats her question, she gets more and more comfortable until, by the time she hears ‘My love stretches back to Creation and forward to the end of time. I loved you then, I love you now, I’ll love you always.‘ she finally falls asleep, knowing she is both safe and loved and always will be.  Love has no bounds and no boundaries.

Enriched by the bright , warm colours of Goodwin’s illustrations, that wrap around the reader like the patchwork quilt – and all  that that, in itself, symbolises – the child feels protected from the in-coming storm (literal and metaphorical) , because this sort of love is infinite, regardless of whether you are Indigenous or of another heritage.  It transcends culture, religion, socioeconomic background , political persuasion or any other dictate but now has a uniquely Australian context for the young child to embrace, and for the First Nations child to connect even more closely with Country.  

While this seems like a book to be shared at bedtime between adult and child, it also offers the possibility to talk about the emotion because even though it is intangible, “love makes the world go round”  and it takes many forms between different people.  So little ones can share how people, in various roles in their life, show them love, and how they, in return, reciprocate it.  They can learn that it doesn’t always have to be hugs, cuddles and kisses, that it can take many forms – even their mum being mad at them for doing something silly because it was dangerous is a form of love.  And that if they do get yelled at, it is what they are doing that is not loved, not them.  But most importantly, whatever the words, love is all-encompassing, enduring and ever-lasting as memories allow us to love even after someone has passed. 

Young readers are often presented with books that help them understand their big emotions and how to handle them but this one just celebrates the share joy of connection, making it a delight to share. 

 

 

Dreaming: Welcome to Our Country

Sep21
Dreaming: Welcome to Our Country

Dreaming: Welcome to Our Country

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dreaming: Welcome to Our Country

Adam Goodes & Ellie Laing

David Hardy

A & U Children, 2025

24pp., hbk., RRP $A24.99

9781761065095

Adam Goodes has come a long way since his retirement from AFL, 10 years ago this month and so has the literature about our First Nations peoples that we, and particularly our young people, have access to.  What was once pretty much limited to “Tales from the Dreamtime” without acknowledgement of the vast diversity of distinct nations, language groups, and communities with each having their own unique culture, beliefs, and relationship to specific ancestral lands,  the stories were seen as being universal and applicable to all. Yet, in reality the overarching commonality is connection to Country, whatever that looks like for each community. 

Here, in this latest and final addition to this series  which began with  Somebody’s Land in 2021 and now includes Ceremony (2022) , Back on Country, (2022) and Walk with Us (2023) that has opened the eyes and minds of children and adults alike, the authors attempt to help young readers better understand the concept of Dreaming.

We acknowledge that the Dreaming means different things to different people…and that Dreaming is not a traditional word used by Aboriginal people. However it is the word commonly used to try to explain the interconnectedness, complexity and richness of the Creation stories and spirituality of Aboriginal culture. 

Goodes draws on his own Adnyamathanha and Narungga heritage to explain his Muda – the never-ending cycle that links the past, present and future of his People. Through lyrical text and the magical illustration that show a young child leaving their bed and flying through the window, young children begin to understand that Muda is not a specific time or place but something that transcends them, with the stories and lore and rules reaching as far back in time as they will reach in the future. But as well as offering that visual image, Hardy’s interpretation of the legendary Rainbow Serpent (Akurra) and clever juxtaposition of colour to depict the Law men coming down from the sky to teach about Country are memorable.

A peek inside...

A peek inside…

With both the national curriculum and the new NSW HSIE syllabus having a strong focus on the the connections people make to their past and First Nations People in particular, this book -indeed, the entire series- is an essential part of the school library collection to not only engage and connect with young readers but also to help teachers sharing the curriculum so that everyone can appreciate and value that our First Nations culture is so much more than stories about why the crow is black or how the kangaroo got its tail.  Hooray!   At last!   . 

I Am Me

Sep18
I Am Me

I Am Me

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I Am Me

Mitch Tambo

Carla Hoffenberg

A & U Children, 2025

32pp., hbk., RRP $A24.99

9781761182204

Yaama!
My name is Mitch Tambo.
I’m a proud First Nations man from the Gamilaraay people.
What’s your name? Who are your people?

One of Australia’s most unique and electrifying First Nations entertainers, Mitch Tambo welcomes children of all ages to discover the richness of First Nations culture through song, dance and Language, sharing the ways of his Gamilaraay people in particular.  Using his headdress as the focal point, he explains its construction and the symbolism associated with it, its components and its connections to his wider world. But at the same time he offers young readers a challenge to discover their own heritage, their language and the things that keep their culture connected whether it is First Nation or something else, because it is all those connections that combine to make them the unique individuals they are.   even those children who don’t think they have strong cultural or ethnic bonds can start by exploring their own name – why they have it, who chose it, what it means, its links to other family members and so on.

So while Mitch continues the trend to introduce First Nations culture to non-Indigenous people, and their strong sense of  personal identity built on generations of shared beliefs, links, and bonds, I believe that, given its title and his questions to the reader.  the core of this book is about acknowledging all the bibs and bobs over time, place and space that enable each of us to say “I Am Me.”  That if we are to be able to be resilient and hold self-believe and self worth then we need to know who we are and develop that strong sense of self from the get-go. This is an excellent starting point,

 

Kimberley Kickers: Krstel Kicks to Win

Sep12
Krstel Kicks to Win

Krstel Kicks to Win

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Krstel Kicks to Win

Carl Merrison, Hakea Hustler & Krstel Petrevski

Samantha Campbell

HarperCollins, 2025

192pp., pbk., RRP $A15.99

9781460765081

It’s a GOAL!

A rush of adrenaline courses through me as I jump in the air in celebration. This is big – my first goal in the AFLW. I’ve achieved my dream!

My teammates gather around to celebrate. I can hear my family cheering from the crowd.

I’m Krstel Petrevski and the dream I had to play professional Aussie Rules footy since I was a kid in outback Halls Creek has finally come true.

Let me tell you the story of how I got here – about my mates, my family, growing up in the Kimberley on a huge station with motorbikes, horses and swimming holes, playing footy and going to boarding school far away from home.

With the men’s AFL competition well into its finals and the AFLW well under way, this is a timely release for those who not only enjoy watching AFL, but who aspire to play at the highest level.  Formerly a player for both the Melbourne Demons and the West Coast Eagles, and now wearing the uniform of the Subiaco Lions, this is the story of her early years growing up in the Kimberley and her determination to go much further.

The second in this series that features mates growing up in the Kimberley, each with a dream of making the major league – the first is Jy Goes for Gold , the story of Gold Coast Suns player, Jy Farrar, which was a CBCA Notable for 2025 – it is a story that will inspire any young child regardless of where they live to keep pushing and practising because dreams can come true – if you are prepared to do the work and make the sacrifices like moving away from familiar surroundings and people, particularly difficult to First Nations people with their unique connection to Country, a feature of the story as there are many references to traditional and cultural places and beliefs, and the importance of respecting Country.   

Both books feature the formats that will support younger, emerging readers with larger and varying fonts, shorter chapters, and illustrations so that even the reluctant reader who prefers footy to reading will be enticed.  

Animals on Country

Sep3
Animals on Country

Animals on Country

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Animals on Country

Victor Steffensen

Sandra Steffensen

A & U Children’s , 2025

32pp., hbk., RRP $A24.99

9781761181566

‘For thousands of years, Aboriginal people looked after the land to keep it healthy, so there was plenty of food for the animals to eat. But today, the animals are wondering what has happened to the people. Trees have been cut down, land has been cleared and rivers have been polluted.”

As our children become more aware of both the natural environment surrounding them as well as the relationship that our First Nations peoples have with Country, this book is ideal for helping them understand that relationship better as the family join Uncle Kuu on a walk through the bush to learn more about what lives there and how his ancestors cared for them.  From learning to identify particular animal tracks to understanding the special bond between a person and their totem to how the land was kept healthy by only taking enough to eat and only at certain times, while always being respectful of all the flora and fauna, it provides an insight into why it is important to do so as well as encouraging readers to start thinking along the same lines.  

With accessible text in a large font and exquisite pictures and even including the lyrics and music to  a song, this brother and sister duo have created something special that is not only going to deepen the readers’ knowledge of that special connection between First Nations peoples and their Country, but also encourage them to respect the natural world in a similar way regardless of their heritage, perhaps even beginning to consider the interdependence of the creatures and their surrounds as well as how human life is dependent of a healthy, sustained, thriving natural environment. What might they do to promote these links even within the school playground or their own backyard?   

A peek inside...

A peek inside…

Weaving Country

Jul28
Weaving Country

Weaving Country

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Weaving Country

Chris Joy & Aunty Kim Wandin

Ashleigh Pugh

Walker Books, 2025

32pp., hbk., RRP $A26.99

9781760657628

When Walert (Possum) sees her Gugung (grandmother) gathering djirra (reeds) by the river, the susurrus through the rushes invites her to follow her home, little knowing that she is going to learn one of those precious lessons that generations share between each other as they pass the knowledge of their culture to each other. 

In Walert’s case, she not only learns about the physical construction of a woven binak  (basket), but also how the sun, land, water and wind all play their part in the growing and the preparation of the djirra so they are ready to weave, strengthening her understanding of her connection to Country that is so integral of First Nations culture and life.  And when a boroin (blue wren) builds its tiny nest in the drying djirra, and lays three little eggs, Walert also learns patience.  This is not the time to disturb the circle of life that has endured for so long.

This  is a story set on Wurundjeri Country in the Yarra Valley, Victoria and based on the work of author Aunty Kim Wandin who is a master weaver and Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung Elder, whose traditional basket making has been handed down to her by direct lineage, so Walert’s lessons have authenticity and authority. The teachers’ notes which accompany it specifically focus on encouraging “students to
slow down, listen deeply, and build respectful relationships with place, themselves, and each other, honouring the wisdom of intergenerational learning and the living stories carried by land and water. ” offering opportunities to engage with the land, its harvest, its inhabitants and each other that they might not otherwise consider.

But as well as connecting both Walert and the students to their natural environment, the story itself has a strong focus on the passing of knowledge, skills and understandings between Gugung and Walert making it an ideal springboard for helping young readers develop their understanding of the outcomes embedded in the early years of the Australian HASS curriculum . What stories and skills have their grandparents shared with them, such as  favourite books, or music, or crafts or how to mend a bike or….???  Is there something that their family always does at a particular commemoration or celebration because that’s the way it has always been done? For older students, what stories, traditions and skills will they pass on to their own children?

From 2027 in New South Wales, the Human Society and its Environment K−6 Syllabus (2024) requires students in Stage 1 (years 1 and 2) to understand that “People use stories, images, objects and sites to understand the ancient past” with a specific focus on the ancient cultures of China, Egypt, Greece and Rome, and those in Stage 2 (Years 3 and 4) to focus on the ancient cultures of Mesoamerica which include  the Maya, Aztecs and Incas so although their grandparents are not that old, this could be a bridge that helps them understand that much of what they know and do today is built on what those who have gone before have known and done beginning within their own family and their own experience. 

While there seems to be an upsurge in the writing and publishing of books that explore First Nations’ connections to Country, helping non-Indigenous children understand and appreciate the Welcome to Country and Acknowledgement of Country that are part of their daily lives, this one, through its story and indeed, its literal and metaphorical focus on weaving, is a stand out.