Multi-award-winning, The Papunya School Book of Country and History is a unique and fascinating account of the history of Western Desert communities from an Indigenous perspective.
WINNER: CBCA Book of the Year, Eve Pownell Award for Information Books, 2002 This multi-award-winning book tells the story of how Anangu from five different language groups came to live together at Papunya. From the time of first contacts with explorers, missionaries and pastoralists, through to the Papunya art movement and the Warumpi Band, this multi-layered text finally leads us to the development of the unique educational environment that is Papunya School. As an example of two way learning, it is a profound metaphor for reconciliation.
"Over the past decade Australians have witnessed a significant shift to more insular and conservative economic, ethical and cultural norms. The problems of valuing and achieving justice seem more acute than ever, yet the solutions to those problems are not obvious nor are those in power taking the lead." "In this powerful collection, Australian writers including Gail Jones, Eva Sallis and Frank Brennan explore the relationship between writing and justice, a relationship utterly dependent on informed, ethical readers. These essays - from poets, essayists, academics, playwrights, critics and novelists - demonstrate how it is possible for writing to articulate concerns of justice, enlighten the broader community and move citizens to action."--BOOK JACKET.
As Mary Malbunka shares her stories of playing with friends, building cubby houses, climbing trees, collecting sugarbag, digging for honey ants, hunting for lizards, and learning about the seasons, animals and plants, she creates a vivid picture of a truly Australian childhood in which country - ngurra is life itself. Warm and accessible, this is essentially an oral story, and it contains a number of words in Luritja whose meaning is explained in context and also within an extensive glossary. The book also interprets recurring symbols used in traditional Aboriginal painting. 'This beautiful work is a gift to children, education and reconciliation.' - Jackie Huggins AM, Co-Chair, Reconciliation Australia 'Mary Malbunka's story is simply bursting with details of her childhood in Papunya - the bush tucker and medicines, the animals, the sense of family and community, the Dreaming stories, the country itself and the difficulties of fitting in to the white man's world. I'm sure readers young and old will find the vibrant picture it paints to be irresistible. It is also an important story because it helps Aboriginal people reclaim our traditional culture.' - Professor Lowitja O'Donoghue
'One wet season day, during my first year living in Kakadu, I was sheltering in a cave with some friends. An old man was telling stories of his youth and country. I remember saying to him, I'd like to walk around the bush for a full year and see and feel the changes each season brings. He replied, Well, go do it!' Join Diane Lucas and Ken Searle as they walk through the bush of northern Australia. Follow the seasonal calendar of the Gundjeihmi-speaking people of Kakadu. Feel the changes each season brings to the plants, animals and birds of this rich and inspiring land. 'This is a story that has got to be told to children so they know country - no good just sitting in the classroom all day. You've got to get outside and discover the bush, feel the changes, see what's there.' from a group of Gundjeihmi-speaking people of the Murrumburr clan
With historical and contemporary photographs, artwork by leading Indigenous artists, and new colour illustrations throughout, this compilation of Indigenous stories gives a fascinating insight into Aboriginal childhood, both traditional and contemporary.
Set in the lush world of the tropical rain forest, this original picture book about a slow moving sloth who is smarter than he looks is an exquisite showcase for Carle's colorful collage art with a meaningful message. Full-color illustrations.
Tonight is the night. The family has to flee. They've been tipped off that the authorities are after their blood. Set in biblical times, a small family sets off across a desert in search of refuge from persecution in their own country, and an ancient story becomes a fable for our times. Their journey is beset by heat and thirst, threatening tanks and the loss of their donkey, but eventually they reach a refugee camp where they can wait in safety for asylum in another country. In this first-time collaboration between multi-award-winning author, Nadia Wheatley, and internationally-renowned illustrator, Armin Greder, words and images blend seamlessly to take readers on a journey they will never forget.
'I love history because it is story, but the very best thing about this story is that it is not finished. All of us are making history every moment of our lives.' Nadia Wheatley Australians All encompasses the history of our continent from the Ice Age to the Apology, from the arrival of the First Fleet to the Mabo Judgement. Brief accounts of the lives of real young Australians open up this chronological narrative. Some of the subjects of the eighty mini-biographies have become nationally or even internationally famous. Others were legends in their own families and communities. Meticulously researched, beautifully written and highly readable, Australians All helps us understand who we are, and how we belong to the land we all share. It also shows us who we might be. 'In Australian histories there is a particular group whose tales and presence and concerns are rarely narrated. These are the children and adolescents. They are depicted as mute sufferers of the decisions of elders (as were the children of the Depression), helpless victims of policy (the Stolen Generations) and the children of the Second World War (of whom I was one). They appear in most writing of history as mere passive accessories to what adults do. But their stories are our stories too, and their stories are our history, and Nadia Wheatley, that great writer, tells that wide-ranging story in a way so imaginative and colourful that it would attract any young person, and make young readers feel that many of their personal struggles have been faced before, by children of the past and present. Nadia has performed an essential service to history and the young.' - Thomas Keneally
Children's publishing is a huge international industry and there is ever-growing interest from researchers and students in the genre as cultural object of study and tool for education and socialization.