Picture Books by or about Australia’s Indigenous People

Magabala Books publish indigenous texts. Their 2011 title, Once There Was a Boy by Dub Leffler was probably the most beautiful Australian picture book published last year. Its tropical island setting, colour palette and exotic and nuanced story have achieved both Australian and universal appeal.

This year Magabala has so far published The Mark of the Wagarl and Dingo’s Tree. With the school curriculum’s emphasis on many aspects of Australia’s Aboriginal people, these books will have particular application for schools, as well as for Aboriginal communities. They are important for recording and honouring Aboriginal culture, and also being bridges to the wider community.

The design of The Mark of the Wagarl is simple but the full page illustrations by Janice Lyndon beckon the reader into the atmospheric river settings. Author, Lorna Little, tells the story of the Wagarl (rainbow serpent guardian of rivers in Nyoongar Country) with understanding and interest.

In Dingo’s Tree, the animals won’t share any of the space under their trees so Dingo draws a tree on a rock. It grows tall. As Country is despoiled by mining and there is no rain, the animals become dependent on the last tree. Although there is a strong moral about sharing, this book’s predominant message about the devastation caused by man is chilling and makes the book more suitable for readers older than the very young. The author, Gladys Milroy, is the mother of awarded writer, Sally Morgan.

Kick it to me is published by One Hill Day. Its author, Neridah McMullin, and illustrator, Peter Hudson, give a fascinating insight into the origin of Australian Rules Football; deriving from Marn-grook football played by the Djab Wurrung tribe in the Gariwerd Grampians. The picture book is based on the true story of important Australian sportsman, Tom Wills and his boyhood friendship with the tribe.

by Joy Lawn, Children’s Literature Consultant

Wonder by R.J. Palacio (Alfred A. Knopf N.Y.)

August is a ten year old boy who has always been home-schooled. He was born with a badly deformed face and tells us, ‘I won’t describe what I look like. Whatever you’re thinking, it’s probably worse.’ His parents and sister, Via, don’t think of him as ordinary even though they love him very much. He is probably the only person who knows how ordinary he really is inside.

Now starting school, August has to contend with the staring and the mean kids. Julian is one of a small group who show him around before school starts. He is a kid who acts one way in front of adults but differently to kids and he leads the campaign to make life difficult for August. Jack sits beside him in most classes but what does he really think of August? Summer befriends him even though she is told she would be in the popular group if she kept away from him.

One of the teachers has monthly Precepts, many of which encourage the kids to be kind, such as ‘When given the choice between being right or being kind, choose kind.’ (Dr Wayne W. Dyer) How far will the teacher and principal’s promptings help the school accept August?

The book begins with August’s point of view but diverts into those of other characters such as Via, Summer, Jack and some kids who don’t seem so friendly. These give interesting and enlightening insights into the whole picture.

The author has a light and affirming touch, especially considering the severity of August’s appearance and the book is an easy read which boys and girls in upper primary and junior secondary will devour. It is also a recommended novel for close study.

by Joy Lawn, Children’s Literature Consultant

Australian Series for Young Girls

Anna Branford has recently penned Neville No-Phone but she has also written one of the best regarded Australian series for young girls in recent times. Violet Mackerel’s Brilliant Plot (Walker Books) was a CBCA Book of the Year: Younger Reader shortlisted title in 2011 and its follow-up, Violet Mackerel’s Remarkable Recovery, is just as assured. Hopefully Branford can regain the high standard of these two books. Illustrator, Sarah Davies, plays an equally important role in creating Violet’s endearing vulnerability.

The ‘Walker Stories’ are of interest for the young as they can be read aloud to children, or reasonable readers in junior primary could read them alone or with some help. Each book contains three short stories or chapters and some are humorous, such as Mr Tripp Smells a Rat and Mr Tripp Goes for a Skate by Sandy McKay and Ruth Paul.

The ‘Billie B Brown’ (Hardie Grant Egmont) series of easy-to-read books for girls in junior to mid primary have large font and tap into the interests and feelings of girls in that age range.

More complex is the ‘EJ12 Girl Hero’ series (Lemonfizz Media, Scholastic). These secret agent stories take code-breaker specialist, Emma/EJ12 to exciting places in Australia and beyond but also cover realistic issues with her friends.  Technology is up-to-date and within the experience of the mid to upper primary girl readership.

Probably the most original of these series for young girls is ‘Kumiko’ by Briony Stewart, beginning with Kumiko and the Dragon and, most recently, Kumiko and the Shadow Catchers (UQP). Perfect for 2012’s Year of the Dragon, Kumiko blends east and west in an Australian setting with a fantasy element.

For girls in mid primary and up into mid secondary, Scholastic has released Raven Lucas: Missing, a Conspiracy 365 alternative for girls by Christine Harris. Raven’s father is missing and she thinks she sees either him or someone else wearing his coat and hat. Red herrings and dead ends litter the trail of suspects in this suspenseful mystery.

by Joy Lawn, Children’s Literature Consultant

Neville No-Phone by Anna Branford and Kat Chadwick (Walker Books)

Neville exaggerates to his parents that he is the only person in his class who doesn’t have a mobile phone. He tries everything, including playing the ‘self-esteem’ card. His family do offer some alternatives: their old mobile which the dog buried in the garage, his discarded baby monitor and the old two paper cups with string attached ‘telephone’. When Neville and his best mate and neighbour, Enzo, find a mobile, what will be the outcome? This book is very funny, with some positive messages as a bonus. Its ideal readership is boys in mid primary up to Grade 5 but could have appeal to those a little older and younger, as well as to girls.

by Joy Lawn, Children’s Literature Consultant

The Best Day of My Life by Deborah Ellis (Allen & Unwin)

Deborah Ellis has carved a significant niche as an author of well researched and written issues-based books for children and young adults set in some of the world’s hotspots. She is most well known for the ‘Parvana’ (or ‘Breadwinner’) trilogy, based in Afghanistan; and other stand-outs are The Heaven Shop and Diego, Run!; both for older readers.

Valli is a child who picks up coal in Jharia, India, to survive. On the best day of her life she discovers that the people she believed to be her family had been given money to take her in when her real parents died. She is free, now, to change her life and so leaves. She gets a ride in a truck and is taken to a brothel in Kolkata but the prostitutes recognise something disturbing about her and throw her out quickly. Valli becomes a street kid, although finds joy in life, particularly when she has something she can pass on to help someone else. She has the opportunity to get treatment for her ‘magic feet’ from a kind doctor but she prevents her own path from running smoothly.

Aimed at middle school readers (upper primary or junior secondary), although primary school teachers should perhaps read the allusions to prostitution in Chapter 3 first, this is an easily-read novel with a thinking protagonist and insight into a very different society from that of mainstream Australia. Deborah Ellis is right when she states that her books reflect ‘the heroism of people around the world who are struggling for decent lives, and how they try to remain kind in spite of it.’

 by Joy Lawn, Children’s Literature Consultant

Darius Bell and the Crystal Bees by Odo Hirsch (Allen & Unwin)

Darius Bell and the Glitter Pool deservedly won the CBCA Book of the Year: Younger Readers in 2010. It generated admiration and affection from both the judges and child readers.  We again meet ‘every boy’, Darius Bell, on his beloved Bell Estate. His father, Hector Bell, is a man of literary sensibilities rather than those of science. He is the eccentric figurehead of a subsistence community operating on the estate, where Mr Fisher the farmer gives a proportion of his produce to the Bells; the Deavers give honey and others barter labour and supplies. Science and the ingenuity of Darius, however, come to the fore when the bees disappear and die. In spite of outrageous treatment from his school principal and the mayor, Darius finds a way to scientifically and communally save the Bell Estate and its people.

Across his body of work, Odo Hirsch’s young characters are never afraid to tackle adult injustice with dignity, responsibility and persistence. Humour and imagination add appeal. This is a recommended resource for mid to upper primary science on bees and pollination, as well as an enjoyable and affirming read in its own right.

by Joy Lawn, Children’s Literature Consultant

Icefall by Matthew J. Kirby (Scholastic Press NY)

Icefall is an exemplary original Norse tale. It is a highly recommended psychological thriller, set on an icy piece of land which is bordered by the impassable mountains and the frozen winter sea. The young heir, Harald, and his two Norse princess sisters have been sent to this harsh place for safety by their father, the King, but things start to go wrong and it seems that their sanctuary has been infiltrated by an enemy. The king had sent them with a small team of guards and his bezerkers arrive just before the ice freezes for the winter, so there are multiple suspects even within their own group, let alone outsiders. A skald, Alric, arrives with the bezerkers and he sees talent in Solveig, the second and overlooked sibling, as a bard. He begins her training, where her background as a storyteller helps her because she is familiar with many of the old Norse tales about Loki, Asgard and Odin. When her goat, Hilda, is killed by the bezerker leader, Hake, he tries to makes amends by giving her a raven and its presence on her shoulder while weaving her stories gives her confidence and authority. Solveig is a very well-drawn character, whose doubts about her place in her father’s affections and about her ability; position this book above being simply being a riveting story. As soon as it is available in paperback it would be an excellent class novel or title for literature circles for both boys and girls in middle school. In the meantime, libraries and homes must have it.

by Joy Lawn, Children’s Literature Consultant

A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park (University of Qld Press)

Linda Sue Park won the prestigious Newbery award for A Single Shard in 2002. I read it then and always remembered it as an important, original and reflective story. UQP have reissued this tale about Korean orphan, Tree-ear (named after mushrooms that grow without parent seeds) in the 12^th century. He was fascinated by master potter; Min’s, work and, after inadvertently breaking one of his creations, begins labouring for him to pay back the debt. The work is hard but Tree-ear longs to make pots himself. Will Min ever allow someone other than his son to learn his tightly-held skills? When his acclaimed celadon pottery has the chance to earn Min a royal commission, Tree-ear embarks on the journey to court with two faultless vases. Will they all arrive safely? Tree-ear’s friendship with one-legged Crane-man provides opportunities for the philosophical questions that enhance the fable-like qualities of the novel. The writing is apt for this thoughtful style. UQP has also recently published Linda Sue Park’s novel, A Long Walk to Water, set in Sudan, and both of these fine books are highly recommended for close study in upper primary or junior secondary classes.

 by Joy Lawn, Children’s Literature Consultant

House of Night Series by PC & Kristin Cast

One of the most fun and exciting young adult series around, these books chronicle the adventures of fledgling vampire, Zoey Redbird and her friends who live in a world much like ours except vampires are real and have integrated into human society.

Penned by a mother-daughter team, one a high school teacher and the other a poet, these are well-written and gripping stories that you’ll want to read in one sitting.

Obernewtyn by Isobelle Carmody

A classic of Australian young adult fantasy, this is the first in a rich and engrossing series following the trials of Elspeth Gordie.

This epic saga is set in a post-apocalyptic world ruled by the iron fist of the sinister Council.  Due to the radiation from the disaster known as The Great White, a new type of human is starting to emerge.  Labeled as Misfits, these mutants have developed unusual mental abilities that mark them for extermination by the Council who fear these new powers.

These are gripping and complex stories that have made life-long fans of many a young reader.