Magabala Books Aboriginal Corporation in Broome has sent me some beautiful children’s picture books to promote.
Magabala has been in the game since 1990, producing high-quality Indigenous Australian literature.
I highly recommend you browse their collection at www.magabala.com
Here are some of their latest goodies:
The spotty dotty lady
Josie Wowolla Boyle & Fern Martins (Ill.)
2014, 31 pages
Paperback
Teacher notes available on the Magabala website: http://www.magabala.com/resources.
This is a beautifully illustrated book with vibrant colours and stunning art. It has large and clear font.
It is about friendship among all races and types of people. The sad lady’s only friends are her flowers. She finds a spotty dotty flower which inspires her to paint spotty dotty designs on her tea cups, and then her kitchen, and then her whole house. This attracts interest in the neighbourhood and the neighbours and their friends come to look. They begin to get to know each other and make friends. The lady throws them a party and paints their tea cups and after that she is never lonely again. It shows how much we connect emotionally with nature, beauty and colour.
It is a great book for discussing the importance of friendship and community; and how hobbies like gardening and art can bring people together.
The little corroboree frog
Tracey Holton-Ramirez and Angela Ramirez (Ill.)
2013, 32 pages
Paperback
Teacher notes available on the Magabala website: http://www.magabala.com/resources.
This book has large and clear font and has bright, watercolour-painting style illustrations.
The little corroboree frog is ultimately a conservation story – a frog wakes up from winter hibernation, mates with a female frog, waits for eggs to hatch but is troubled by the weather changing. The winter rains are not coming and there is rubbish in their habitat. Meanwhile, a little boy and his father are exploring the area and the frog jumps on to the boy and leads the boy to his nest to show his home. The boy realises that the frog is unhappy about humans’ treatment of his habitat and he and his dad clear it up and drive home discussing what they can do to help the frogs.
This is a great book to study within a unit on environment/conservation, and it includes a non-fiction section with frog facts.
Spinifex mouse
Norma MacDonald (writer and ill.)
2013, 40 pages
Hardback
Teacher notes available on the Magabala website: http://www.magabala.com/resources.
This is a stunning book with lyrical language and elegant illustrations by an award-winning artist. Little spinifex mouse is called ‘Cheeky’ and dances and teases the snake as she rests warming up on the rock – until the snake strikes, and the eagle comes and picks up the mouse, saving it. He drops the mouse but the snake has caught up and strikes again; this time the eagle picks up the snake. The mouse goes home and tells his family, saying he learnt his lesson and won’t be silly again – and the family decide to change his name to ‘Lucky’.
The writing is sophisticated, in third person, past tense and using dialogue and a range of literary devices such as repetition, alliteration and rhythm and simile.
There is a clear moral, that greed and boastful/showing off behaviour will make you unpopular and cause trouble.
There is information about habitat and the life cycle/predators, so this book also fits in with units on environment.
Silly Birds
Greg Driese (writer and ill.)
2014, 32 pages
Hard cover
Teacher notes available on the Magabala website: http://www.magabala.com/resources.
This evocative book tells a Dreaming story – Maliyan the eagle is a bird who always looked and listened because his parents taught him speaking too much was for the silly birds. Maliyan grew wise and met Wagun, a silly bird who boasted that he was the best; he was loud and ran around, knocked people over, didn’t listen to elders.
Maliyan thought he was fun and followed him and started to act like him. More birds followed; they became careless and didn’t look after their environment. The parents grew worried and upset. Maliyan felt bad and went to the elders for advice. He remembered to look and listen and he grew wise again. Wagun continued to be selfish. He lost his ability to fly, and scratched around on the ground to find food. Today all Turkeys scratch around on the ground and can’t fly well.
The coda of the story is: “it is hard to soar like an eagle when you are surrounded by turkeys”.
This book has beautiful art, incorporating traditional symbols such as dot designs and animal tracks. It teaches children in a lovely manner, gentle but firm, like you are sitting with elders.
It is a great book to use when talking about peer pressure and setting your own goals, your own path in life; not letting others steer you off your course.
Two Mates
Melanie Prewitt, Maggie Prewitt – ill.
2012, 32 pages
Paperback
Bold font, quite small
This book is based on a true story about Raf , a non-Indigenous boy who has spina bifida, and Jack, an Indigenous boy. They are growing up together in Broome and share a life of hunting, swimming, fishing and quad biking.
The story is reasonably simple, and takes us through illustrations of the boys doing each activity. The illustrations are cleverly done so that it is not until the end of the book that the illustrations reveal Raf in a wheelchair. The illustrations, too, are simple – like bright crayon drawings. The understated appearance makes the revelation about Raf’s condition all the more compelling.
It is a story about friendship and crossing barriers – around both race and ‘disability’ (although, clearly, Raf is not prevented from participating in cool, fun little-boy activities).
The book includes photos of the real boys and their families as well as information about spina bifida.
It is a great book for teaching about compassion and embracing each other’s uniqueness.