Tag Archives: Aboriginal Stories

May26

Our Mob – Jacinta Daniher & Taylor Hampton/Seantelle Walsh

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Ford St Publishing

May 2023

ISBN: 9781922696236

RRP: $17.99

This is a stunning new picture book for your younger readers that will take them around Australia to visit various mobs on Country and find out a little more about each. Authors, Jacinta and Taylor, are the co-founders of Birrang Cultural Connections, based in Victoria [check out the fabulous photos on their FB page!]. Their aim is to provide cross-cultural learning experiences to children in the Albury/Wodonga district. In this book they can take that learning experience further afield, introducing kiddos to their First Nations peers from one end of the country to the other.

With each double spread readers are introduced to another proud Aboriginal kid and find out a little about customs or practices in their own Country. Through the simple but effective and expressive text, children will ‘meet’ a kid from a particular mob, and learn about their own personal connection to country and customs. Each of these is illustrated beautifully with Seantelle’s sensitive and exquisitely rendered interpretations of each child and their own experiences, with reference to traditional art techniques.

I absolutely love this book! It’s such a fabulous way to show all kids the differences and variety from one mob to another, and your readers will truly enjoy getting to know each one. And while each page is lovely in its own right – our favourite is, of course, the Wiradjuri page with little Arlo and his Pop :-), and the story of the nation totem, the gugaa.

This is a must for your shelves so if you haven’t already, get it on order now.

Highly recommended for readers from 3 year olds in kindy upwards to mid-primary. And there are some terrific and comprehensive teaching notes to accompany it.

our-mob-teacher-notes-1Download
May23

#In This Together Reconciliation Week 2020 & Rocky and Louie

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Rocky & Louie – Phil Walleystack, Raewyn Caisley and Dub Leffler

Penguin Australia

  • Published: 28 April 2020
  • ISBN: 9780143786528
  • Imprint: Puffin
  • RRP: $24.99

I’ve saved this one for this week to time with Reconciliation Week 2020 as we take up this year’s theme, which as it turns out has proven apt in even more ways than originally intended. Despite many years of activism and advocacy there are still so many who fail to either realise or acknowledge the terrible wrongs done to our First Australian peoples. Regular readers of this blog will know how strongly this cause resonates with me given my children and grandchildren are proud Wiradjuri people.

Naturally then I never miss the opportunity to share cultural awareness with my students and others which is why reviewing books of Indigenous authors or themes is always so important to me.

Rocky and Louie takes a topic dear to the hearts of many young Australians, namely football, and weaves this into a narrative that underlines the sacred connection to country and culture for First Australians.

Rocky has a big dream and is determined to pursue it but when the time comes for him to leave country and go to the city, little brother Louie is fearful and anxious. Louie has learned all about football from his big brother but also about the importance of their culture, people and country and he’s worried that Rocky will lose his connection to all this and his family while he’s gone.

So he comes up with the idea of making Rocky a very special boomerang to remind him that he will always return to the place of his true belonging. The reader goes with Louie to find just the right branch and sits with him while Uncle Phil shows him how to shape it perfectly. And of course it makes the parting gift not only fitting but intensely meaningful as these two brothers demonstrate the closeness of their bond.

The text co-written by Raewyn Caisley, whose ability to transform her words about families into such seemingly simple but powerful layered meanings, and Phil Walleystack, Noongar man and internationally renowned singer-songwriter and storyteller, transcends a mere story of two footy-loving brothers and transforms this into a heartfelt testament to the strength, resilience and dignity of Aboriginal family life and culture.

The illustrations by Dub Leffler (so talented!) utterly capture the boys’ country, native animals, family and their smiling faces with such a divine skill that it will immediately transport readers to the setting.

Raewyn writes about this as her ‘most significant project’: ..’Rocky and Louie is about belonging to country and it is our gift, not only to Aboriginal children, but to all of Australia…….inside is a story that Phil, Dub and I believe has the power to change our nation.’

It goes without saying that I cannot recommend this highly enough and believe it is another essential addition to your collection. My copy will be shared with young Wiradjuri children whom my daughter is guiding in their cultural growth and education and I know it will be well received.

National Reconciliation Week

#In This Together