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Sunny and Shadow

Apr22
Sunny and Shadow

Sunny and Shadow

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sunny and Shadow

Helen Milroy

Fremantle Press, 2025

96pp., pbk., RRP $A14.99

9781760995119

During the Dreaming, that special time where for First Nations peoples, past present and future coexist and all the elements for creation were formed, including special landscapes and landshapes where people, animals, land, sky and water cared for each other, the dingoes lived on one side of the hill and the people on the other, over time forming special connections. Calla, particularly, had a special affinity with them and the dingo became her totem, her life’s mission to take care of them, particularly one special pup, Chichi..  

But things changed when newcomers not only took over the land but also removed Calla and her people from them, leaving the dingoes, also in great danger from the newcomers,  to fend for themselves. So when Chichi has to run for his life and escapes through a special cave that gives him the power of invisibility, and he emerges in a different time and place, it seems natural that he will be befriended by Sunny who also has Calla’s gift with the species because she is her granddaughter.  Sunny, herself, also feels out of place, caught between the realities of modern life and the traditional beliefs and ways of her ancestors. and this becomes a story that weaves both worlds together as they attempt to restore a better balance between the environment and people because “when life is abundant and in balance, future generations can thrive”.  

Written in a format that suggests it might be for younger readers – which, on the surface, it is, as a story about the connections between a young Aboriginal girl and a dingo pup – it also requires a certain amount of knowledge and understanding of Aboriginal beliefs and culture and teachers’ notes ask some big questions that require a broader appreciation of the world than a young non-indigenous reader might have.  But for all that, it offers yet another layer of insight that all goes to help build that knowledge and understanding. 

Tubowgule: A Sydney Opera House History

Apr15
Tubowgule: A Sydney Opera House History

Tubowgule: A Sydney Opera House History

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tubowgule: A Sydney Opera House History

Melissa-Jane Fogarty

Dylan Finney

Lothian Children’s, 2025

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

9780734423351

Centuries, indeed, millennia, before it became one of Australia’s most iconic tourist attractions where people gather  to share and tell stories, sing and hear music and stories and enjoy dance, drama and other cultural experiences, it was a place for the Gadi people to do exactly the same sorts of things.  Known as Tubowgule – tube-uh-gahlee – which means “where the knowledge waters meet” because the fresh waters of the creeks mixed with the salty waters of the oceans making it a place of rich resources, the Gadi people would congregate to enrich and replenish their physical, mental, emotional and spiritual well-being.  

While millions of Australians and international visitors may only know it for Utzon’s creation built from playing with sailboats and orange peels, watching swans and collecting seashells, the Sydney Opera House has a history that disappears into the far distance of time, and which is brought to life in this striking book, the first in a series that explores the indigenous history of some of Australia’s iconic landmarks.  

Even though British colonisation brought about many changes to the use of the land, all of which are mapped out in double page spreads and a final-page timeline, the presence of the First Nations people continued, explained in sidebars that show how purpose and perspectives changed until they turned full circle, when in 2007 it was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List and Ben Blakeney, an Aboriginal actor and descendent of Banalung , officially welcomed people to the House.

Described by the National Indigenous Times as “a rich and inclusive exploration of the land beneath one of Australia’s most famous landmarks” it offers younger readers an insight not just into the story of the Opera House itself, but helps them understand that, like so many other locations they are familiar with,  places have stories to tell that can bring them alive and make them relevant and meaningful.  From the front cover and endpapers which provide a poignant sneak peak of what is to follow,  there is history immersed in every word and illustration and teachers’ notes encourage the exploration of these,  particularly for those in the middle to upper primary grades. Even though the building itself might not be something non-Sydney readers are as familiar with, nevertheless there are significant points that are part of the nation’s more recent history which can be investigated and perhaps even compared to the history of their own region, while some might like to investigate a local landmark that could be the subject of another in the series.

Another in a growing collection of narrative non fiction works which offer insight and understanding of First Nations Peoples that can only take us forward on the journey together. 

 

Dreaming Soldiers

Apr8
Dreaming Soldiers

Dreaming Soldiers

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dreaming Soldiers

Catherine Bauer

Shane McGrath

Big Sky, 2025

36pp., hbk., RRP $A24.99

9781923300255

Jimmy Watson and Johnno Hogan were the best of friends – swimming-in-waterholes, camping-under-the-stars, sharing-water-bottles kind of friends. Throughout their lives they did everything together and even when their paths diverged because there were different rules and expectations for “white” and indigenous children then, they still came back together as close as they had ever been.  And then one day they went into town for supplies, heeded the call for men to fight in a war far away and enlisted…

This could be the story of any number of friendships of the early 20th century when ‘white’ and indigenous kids on farms formed friendships that were blind to colour, cultural differences or any other racial prejudices and its strong focus on that friendship is its positive. While the treatment of indigenous soldiers during the conflicts that Australia has been involved in since the Boer War in 1899 could have been its focus, its power lies in that spotlight on the friendship, the shared adventures and stories, the fears and hopes that are common regardless of skin colour. 

This is a new release of this book, and is particularly timely.  While the Trump regime tries to reshape US military history including removing thousands of records of Black, Hispanic and female war veterans from official websites, including that of the Arlington National Cemetery (where those of the ilk of John. F. Kennedy are buried),  this book is one of not many that acknowledge First Nation Service Men and Women. 

Within the Australian Curriculum, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures cross-curriculum priority is designed for all students to engage in reconciliation, respect and recognition of the world’s oldest continuous living cultures, and so this book offers the opportunity to help our younger students understand that despite rules against their enrolment (those not of “substantially European origin” were excluded from enlisting by the Defence Act 1903) and not being recognised as citizens until 1967, their neglect and exclusion on their return, indigenous people have fought for Australia in many overseas conflicts and their contribution has been vital.  Now, each year following the Dawn Service at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra, there is a special ceremony acknowledging their service. 

This edition includes some pertinent questions to pose to encourage students to reflect and remember,  teachers’ notes extend the experience and the learning. and further information, including some of the stories of the estimated 1000 who managed to enlist can be found on the Australian War Memorial site while an internet search will provide links to further valuable resources.

Click poster to download

Click poster to download

Design & Building on Country

Apr1
Design & Building on Country

Design & Building on Country

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Design & Building on Country

Alison Page & Paul Memmott

Blak Douglas

Thames & Hudson, 2024

152pp., pbk., RRP $A26.99

9781760763565

Whenever our young people hear the now familiar Welcome to Country or recite their school’s Acknowledgement of Country, are they just hearing or saying words or do they have an understanding of the meaning and purpose behind them?

Ever since 1835 when NSW Governor Richard Bourke implemented the legal principle of terra nullius in Australian law as the basis for British settlement until its repeal in 1992 by the High Court’s Mabo Decision that recognised Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ continuing connection and rights to land through Native Title., there was a legally perpetuated belief that Australia was, indeed, a  “land belonging to no one”, having “a complete absence of people and additionally the absence of ‘civilised’ people capable of land ownership” and thus, was used to justify and legitimise the dispossession, dispersal, and inhumane treatment of First Nations peoples.

But in this book, shortlisted for the CBCA 2025 Eve Pownall Award for Information Books, the authors and illustrators have provided a critical insight into the culture and history that underpins those  statements and helping them better appreciate what they are hearing and saying.  With easily accessible language, impactful illustrations and an appealing layout, they show that not only was the land populated by a culture that has been here for 65 000 years at least – making it the longest continuing culture in the world – but that there were amazing homes and buildings constructed, as well as incredible science, technology and design knowledge  ensuring both its continuation and development.

A peek inside...

A peek inside…

Speaking directly to the reader, they start with an explanation of the difference between ‘country” and “Country’ as it forms such an integral part of who the Aboriginal person is, their heritage, beliefs, values and identity. Using their own cultural heritage as well as their professional expertise in design and development to show that this country was anything but terra nullius, readers learn about how the need for food and shelter were satisfied by the invention, development and refinement of tools and structures that were unique to the land and landscape around them as well as contributing to that deep connection to the land and their spirituality. But as well as offering the information itself, the reader is also encouraged to consider how their own environment determines and impacts how their lives are lived.  While modern technology and transport might mean that our food needs and availability are fairly generic, how does my mountain landscape change my life compared to that of my brother on the Queensland coast?  How does what those who have lived thousands of years before us influence how we live now?

Originally published as a book for adults in the First Knowledges series edited by Margo Neale which include: Astronomy, Country, Innovation, Plants, Health, Songlines. Design and Law, this is the second from that series that has been developed for young readers, the first being Songlines. itself a CBCA Notable Book for the Eve Pownall Award in 2024. Both, and any future adaptations deserve a prominent place in any primary or secondary school collection supporting First Nations studies.

Young Dark Emu – A Truer History

Mar23
Young Dark Emu - A Truer History

Young Dark Emu – A Truer History

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Young Dark Emu – A Truer History

Bruce Pascoe

Magabala Books, 2025

80pp., pbk., RRP $A29.99

9781922777508

Nearly 50 years after the First Fleet arrived in Port Jackson, in 1835 NSW Governor Richard Bourke  implemented the legal principle of terra nullius in Australian law as the basis for British settlement. Meaning “land belonging to no one”, it was interpreted as “a complete absence of people and additionally the absence of ‘civilised’ people capable of land ownership” and as such, was used to justify and legitimise the dispossession, dispersal, and inhumane treatment of First Nations peoples until it was overturned in 1992 by the High Court’s Mabo Decision that recognised Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ continuing connection and rights to land through Native Title.

Since then, there has been a significant shift in the understanding of the history and  custody of this continent for the thousands of years before European settlement and in this new edition of Pascoe’s seminal book, he uses a variety of research, accounts of early European explorers, colonists and farmers and other primary sources to show young readers what Australia was like before colonisation and dispel the “hunter-gatherer” label that has been perpetuated for generations.  He demonstrates that it was a land of cultivated farming areas, productive fisheries, permanent homes, and an understanding of the environment and its natural resources that supported thriving villages across the continent, painting an entirely different picture to popular belief.  

Since the edition for young readers was first published in 2019, not only has it sold nearly 100 000 copies, but it has gathered a swag of awards including being the winner of both the 2020 Australian Booksellers Association Kids’ Reading Guide Children’s Book of The Year and  the 2020 Children’s Book Council of Australia Book of The Year Awards, Eve Pownall Award for Information Books,

As well as the extensive teachers’ notes available from the publisher, aimed primarily at those in Year 4 and 5, there is also a swathe of resources and reviews online that a search will reveal, but teachers should be aware that the book itself contains content that is considered inappropriate today and that some of the themes and concepts explored may be challenging for some students.  Suggestions for dealing with these are provided in the teachers’ notes, particularly through unpacking the what and the why that Pascoe has included them.  

These days, many schools include an Acknowledgement of Country in their daily routines, and a Welcome to Country is common practice at major events. Young Dark Emu – A Truer History helps students understand the history that underpins them.  If, as a nation, we are to move forward to true reconciliation, it is essential that tomorrow’s adults know on whose shoulders they stand, and this new edition is designed to appeal to a new generation of young independent readers. 

Walking the Rock Country in Kakadu

Mar12
Walking the Rock Country in Kakadu

Walking the Rock Country in Kakadu

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Walking the Rock Country in Kakadu

Karrire kundenge karribolknan kunwarddehwardde

Diane Lucas & Ben Tyler

Emma Long

A & U  Children’s, 2024

32oo., hbk., RRP $A29.99

9781761067860

Australia is a land of so many different landscapes and landshapes, with its  diverse topography, geology, rainfall and seasonal changes meaning there is an incredible range of vegetation and thus living inhabitants.  Not the least of these is Kunwarddehwardde, the rock country of the Arnhem Land plateau which extends into Kakadu National Park, an area of almost 20 000 km² in  in the far north of the Northern Territory and home of many First Nations clans for 40 000 years and rich in cave paintings, rock carvings and archaeological sites that record the skills and lifestyle of these peoples over the millennia.

In this stunningly illustrated book, the team behind the CBCA shortlisted Walking in Gagudju Country: Exploring the Monsoon Forest, once again take the reader on a wondrous journey through this jaw-dropping country, this time during yekke, the early dry season, to see what is there.  Through commentary that seamlessly incorporates the Kindjeyhmi language (with icons that explain what is being  identified)  interwoven through the vivid, detailed illustrations, the reader not only learns to use their eyes, ears and nose but to really use them keenly for there is much that is there but which is often overlooked.  As well as pointing out these hidden gems like the alyurr that grow in the rock crevices, their ancient stories are also shared – hidden among these tiny plants are tiny grasshoppers  known as the Lightning People’s children, coming out of the soil as the rains begin, gradually shedding their skins and revealing their bright colours so they can find a mate. 

A peek inside...

A peek inside…

As well as the explanatory text there is also an illustrated glossary that offers both English translations (and Latin where appropriate) as well as being a sort of “Where’s Wally ” challenge as you return to the page to try to find the things you missed.  Wide-ranging teachers’ notes are available from the publisher’s page, including a link to both a reading of the story, and the glossary – also accessible via a QR code from the introductory page of the book. 

Lucas’s first book, Walking with the Seasons in Kakadu, published 20 years ago led the way to opening up this land to our young readers so they could begin to understand its ancient stories and those who shared them and this stunning book continues the tradition. Like its predecessors, this has also been acknowledged as a Notable for the 2025 CBCA Book of the Year Awards Eve Pownall Award.

Certainly one that will encourage readers to book an adventure.

The Boab Tree

Nov6
The Boab Tree

The Boab Tree

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Boab Tree

Helen Milroy

Fremantle Press, 2024

40pp., hbk., RRP $A24.99

9781760994631

In the desert-like lands of northern Australia stands a huge family of boab trees, witnesses to the scaping and shaping of the land as generations survived and thrived in conditions ideal for them and those that followed as their flowers bloomed, the nuts formed, fell to the ground and a new generation began.  But at the precise moment one little nut fell, an eagle flew beneath it and instead of landing on the ground, it became wedged in the bird’s feathers and carried for hours before it finally rolled off over a forest of very different trees, taller than it had ever seen.

Tumbling through the branches it finally landed in a soft pile of leaves covering the earth, but even though it was safe, nothing was familiar,  There were birds but they looked different and sang a different language, the trees around looked down in disdain, and Boab felt lost and alone.  How was it to survive in this alien place so different from all that was familiar and without the support of those who knew its story and all that it needed to become a grown-up as Nature intended?

Written by the Western Australia 2021 Australian of the Year and descendant of the Palyku people of the Pilbara Region, this is a story of many layers that is more than a tale about the boab nut and its eventual return home because of the friendships it forms with the hopping mice and their growing interdependence.  Not only does it echo Aesop’s fable of The Lion and the Mouse   and all that can be learned from that, but Boab’s feelings will also resonate with anyone who has been uprooted and finds themselves trying to find their way in a new and unfamiliar place. Most significantly though, is the dedication to “all our Stolen Children” that will take this to a new audience of older readers who are learning about that period in Australia’s history and who, through the personification on Boab, can begin to understand the loss and bewilderment that the children felt and how, deep in their DNA, they knew their real home was elsewhere and there was a need to return. 

While the comprehensive teachers’ notes examine vocabulary, science and the mice’s message that ‘We are all important’, for me it is that clarification of connection to Country that so many non-Indigenous people find hard to comprehend and which is such a prominent part of school life now, that is important.  Using the displacement of the boab nut and its inherent and intrinsic instinct to survive as an allegory, puts those feelings into a context that can be more readily understood. The power of that connection underpinning and driving the resilience and determination to return to their roots, to that which has sustained endless generations over thousands of years, now has an almost tangible setting that they can relate to, acknowledge and appreciate.

With strong, vibrant illustrations this is one that needs to be promoted, particularly to those for whom this period of history is in their curriculum and even moreso, to those who still believe that picture books are for the very young who are not yet independent readers. 

Stand Proud

Oct15
Stand Proud

Stand Proud

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stand Proud

Nicho Hynes & Marlee Silva

Blak Douglas

Puffin, 2024

32pp., hbk., RRP $A19.99

 9781761341335

As a kid, Nicho knows a few things to be true.
Everyone calls him Nicho, instead of ‘Nicholas’.
He loves the sport of rugby league.
And he is Aboriginal – but he hasn’t always known what that means.
Then one day at school, Nicho sees his friend covered in white paint and practising a special dance.
Nicho asks him to teach him the dance too . . . and that’s when everything changes.

Even though the 2024 Rugby League season has past and preparations for the next one yet to begin, there will still be many young children who have been inspired by those they have deemed to be their heroes and who aspire to emulate their prowess by practising their skills daily.  For many, that hero will be Nicho Hynes from the Cronulla Sharks and so they will be delighted to read this story of his life, although they might be surprised that it is not so much about his success on the football field as it is about finding who he is and where he has come from.

Because his mum, an Aboriginal, was one of the Stolen Generation,  taken from her family as a little girl, she lost her indigenous identity and although she always told Nicho of his Aboriginal heritage and to be loud and proud about it, she had lost all the stories of her heritage to pass on, and so Nicho was caught in no-man’s-land, particularly when his schoolmates didn’t believe him because his skin was so light.  He didn’t know how to be “a loud, proud, blackfella” so while he felt something ignite inside when he saw his friend Bruce dancing on Harmony Day, it wasn’t until he followed his rugby league dream, idolising Johnathan Thurston and meeting more and more blackfellas who also played, that he started to feel like he was with family and that he belonged.

And the rest, as they say, is history … through opening up to those around him and being open to hearing and learning what he needed to know about his heritage and inheritance, he really began to thrive and not only share his story but, just as Johnathan Thurston had become his idol, so he himself became an idol for those following his footsteps –  so much so that he was awarded the 2024 Ken Stephen Medal Man of the Year for his outstanding mental health advocacy and leadership in the Indigenous community.  

The publisher’s blurb says that this is a story about “Nicho Hynes, who grew up to find his passion when he found his people” but it is also a story for anyone who feels that they are out of step with those around them, whether that be driven by race, culture, religion, gender, or neurology, encouraging them to continue seeking not only their own identity but also others with whom they feel most comfortable.  By telling his story to his close friend Marlee Silva, this becomes an opportunity for others who may also feel lost to find the courage to speak up, to seek and find their way and their particular “tribe”. Hynes is a role model far beyond the boundaries and goalposts of the footy field. 

Why footy star Nicho Hynes has teamed up with Archibald Prize winner Blak Douglas to tell his story about growing up Aboriginal

Djinang Bonar: Seeing Seasons

Sep11
Djinang Bonar: Seeing Seasons

Djinang Bonar: Seeing Seasons

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Djinang Bonar: Seeing Seasons

Ebony Froome

Leanne Zilm

Fremantle Press, 2024

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

9781760994211

In some parts of Australia, the yellow of wattles and daffodils, fierce winds and can’t-make-up-their-mind temperatures are heralding Spring, one of four distinct seasons that our littlies learn about.  In other parts, the heat and humidity are starting to build as the monotonous dry season ends and the Wet comes in with its tumultuous times: and in others First Nations peoples are seeing other signs as they move through their traditional cycles.  For the Noongar in south-west region of Western Australia, this is the time of Djilba, the season of conception when the “koolbardi is swooping to protect his nest, when the dark emu is high in the kedalak sky, when the balgga stems emerge tall and strong, when the yonga and the koomool carry their babies.”

For generations, so many children have been taught that during this planet’s annual journey around the sun, we experience just four seasons – Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter – but now perspectives are widening and beautiful books like this show that different peoples in different places have entirely different timeframes and different names for the patterns of Nature and its phenomena.  For those on Noongar boodja there are six seasons, each with its own distinct signs and times…

  • Birak—season of the young. First summer: December-January. …
  • Bunuru—season of adolescence. Second summer: February-March. …
  • Djeran—season of adulthood. Autumn: April-May. …
  • Makuru—season of fertility. Winter: June-July. …
  • Djilba—season of conception. First spring: August-September. …
  • Kambarang—season of birth.

Written in a mix of English and Noongar but with indigenous words easily distinguishable by looking at the beautiful illustrations (with a glossary for clarification), the reader is taken on a journey through the calendar that, unlike the “English” version which has changes in weather at its heart. focuses on the subtle but significant changes that happen in the life of the local flora and fauna and form the patterns and cycles of life.

But even children on the East Coast, or those for whom Noongar is not their first language can appreciate the beauty and value of this book because it encourages them to look beyond those most obvious signs of change (many of which involve introduced species anyway) and examine the changes in the original, natural environment, and, indeed, their connections and interdependence.  “On Noongar boodja, we know the season is Kambarang when… the kaaril [blue swimmer crab]  is spawning and it’s best not take them.”  It could also inspire an investigation into the indigenous weather knowledge of their own country  as they not only learn to appreciate the knowledge that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have developed over thousands and thousands of years, but also better understand that connection to Country that is at the heart of their culture.

Backyard Tennis

Sep4
Backyard Tennis

Backyard Tennis

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Backyard Tennis

Carl Merrison

Samantha Campbell

Lothian, 2024

32pp., hbk., RRP $a19.99

9780734421548

Another big-blue day in the endless red dirt of WA’s Kimberley region, and Mum drags out her old tennis racquets, and sets off a chain of events that soon has all the kids in the neighbourhood involved as they learn to master the art of getting the ball over the net. – or the clothesline in this case.

As with Backyard Footy, this is another celebration of the fun and friendship that can be had when kids come together and share something as simple as a spur-of-the-moment game.  You don’t need fancy clothing, specialist coaches, or an elaborate playing field – the basic equipment, a willingness to try something new and have fun are all that is required.  Which is perfect because there will many who have been inspired by the feats of our Olympic and Paralympic athletes and who want to have a go but believe that it involves access and money that they don’t have.  While Merrison says that he hopes this series will help “to raise awareness of the untapped talent in rural and remote Australia and encourage sports codes to provide workshops and training to outback kids… and then think about real tangible pathways to support rural and remote kids to get into elite sports.”, it also teaches those in other areas that they can have fun with just the basics and a bit of space.  Even those in apartments have access to green space somewhere.  Ans it is very much a case of “build it and they will come.” 

So while the author might be wanting to inspire First Nations kids, the key message is that regardless of race, religion and all that other stuff,  all children need to have fun and friends and to play and  belong.  And the real thing is so much better than anything they will see or do using a screen.