Allen & Unwin
July 2021
ISBN:9781760526559
Publishers; A & U Children’s
Imprint: A & U Children
RRP: $24.99
Prior to the initial outbreak of Covid in 2020, Boori had predicted that Australia was going to become sick, as a result of our country’s painful and, as yet, unresolved shared history, this litany of injustices, cruelty and wilful misunderstandings. And while the 2020 Covid lockdown in Melbourne raged around him, Boori took to words to write a prescription for healing our country so that we can move forward with true understanding and respect in our hearts.
Described as both a story and a history this is, to my mind, a richly empowering epic poem which resonates with such heartfelt emotion that it cannot fail to move the reader with its carefully chosen words and imagery. The superb illustrations by Rita Sinclair lend both vibrancy and animation to the text and there are many pages at which the reader will gasp at the beauty of them.
As cathedrals echo time,
and footprints’ rhythm steps the rhyme,
prescriptions so sublime.
Boori has given us all a true treasure with this remarkable and deeply personal offering to the nation and it is one which very rightly deserves to be shared with readers over and over again. Many schools will be celebrating NAIDOC after the holidays and this would be the ideal choice for a shared reading at any assembly or within classrooms and libraries to prompt thoughtful discussion and unpack the meaning of NAIDOC’s 2021 theme.
Green shoots so small,
to trees so tall.
Breathe,
believe.
It’s in the song…
…if we listen, we all belong.
What greater gift can we give our children – those ‘green shoots so small’ – than to help them grow in understanding, respect and true equality? I urge you to get hold of this book as soon as you can and start the ripples by sharing it with your own children and classes, even your littler kiddos will be able to grasp the meaning if you help them navigate the beautiful text. Contact publicity@allenandunwin.com for more information
Highly recommended for all readers – young and old. #Healcountry
Just So Stories 