1. Ancestors
2. Art motifs
3. Bees
4. Bush medicine
5. Bush tucker
6. Butterflies
7. Endpapers
8. Family
9. Gardens and gardening
10. Grandmothers
11. Health
12. Nature Conservation
13. Plants
14. Play
15. Recycling
16. Respect

The opening scene features a granddaughter and her baabinje (grandmother) out together in the garden 'Sit, Marli. Observe and connect with the day,’ suggests her grandmother. The occasional trio of rhyming lines encourages a pleasant read aloud experience. The close relationship between grandmother and granddaughter is warm with supportive educational comments from baabinje featuring throughout. Grandmother sings the songs of the older generations, ones taught to her, thus passing on her knowledge such as the importance of bugs for healthy soil.

Together they explore the garden — full of delectables items for eating and nutrition. The text explains that everything in nature is there for a reason. Aboriginal words appearing in the text are easily understood with the author’s simple sentence construction, context and actions reflected in the illustrations. Topics explored include plants for human nutrition including some weeds which make the soil healthier and stronger. A strong underlying theme is that people are responsible for keeping the land healthy.

The artwork by Bronwyn Bancroft captures the environment and garden with her distinctive rich patterns alternating with solid blocks of rich contrasting colours. Double page spreads of the artist’s art and design bleed to the page edges. These are full of fascinating, highly detailed designs that reward close examination. The endpapers reveal five rows of edible items such as carrots, potatoes and apples plus some medicinal items. These are discussed in conversations between grandmother and granddaughter.

‘Baabinje’s Backyard’ was originally conceived as a cultural educational program for preschool to Grade 2 centred on Bronwyn Bancroft’s solo exhibition at the Tweed Regional Gallery & Margaret Olley Art Centre.

Dr Bronwyn Bancroft is a descendant of the Djanbun clan of the Bundjalung nation. She is a leading Indigenous artist, illustrator and art administrator. Her work is held in many galleries and museum across Australia. Bronwyn has illustrated many award-winning books for children and she has a long history of involvement in community activism.

Ella Noah Bancroft is the daughter of Bronwyn Bancroft. She is a descendant of the Bundjalung peoples of Northern NSW and also has blood lines to Scotland and England. Biographical profiles reveal that she is a connection therapist, mentor, activist, creative, and carbon neutral event co-ordinator.

1. ReadPlus 1 Jul 2025 review by Fran Knight of 'Baabinje’s Backyard’ https://www.readplus.com.au/reviews/baabinjes-backyard
2. Reading Time 15 Dec 2025 review by Shelley Stephens of 'Baabinje’s Backyard’ https://readingtime.cbca.org.au/baabinjes-backyard/
3. Museum and Galleries of NSW 19 Sept 2025 ‘Baabinje’s Backyard’ was conceived as a cultural education program centred on Bronwyn Bancroft’s solo exhibition. The program was led by First Nations educators and was designed as a gallery engagement for young children while mentoring facilitators to deliver this program. https://mgnsw.org.au/articles/2025-audience-development-fund-recipients-announced/
4. Local Futures 21 Oct 2021 ‘Indigenous and Feminine Wisdom with Ella Noah Bancroft’ with Ella Noah Bancroft and Henry Coleman https://www.localfutures.org/indigenous-and-feminine-wisdom-an-interview-with-ella-noah-bancroft/
5. Missing Perspectives 20 Aug 2024 ‘Natasha Gillezeau interviews ‘Ella Noah Bancroft on living between two worlds’ https://missingperspectives.com/posts/ella-noah-bancroft-on-xxx/
6. The Returning Indigenous Corporation is an Indigenous not-for-profit corporation led by Ella Noah Bancroft https://www.thereturning.com.au/our-story
7. Artist Profile Bronwyn Bancroft https://artistprofile.com.au/bronwyn-bancroft/
8. Wikipedia entry for Bronwyn Bancroft https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bronwyn_Bancroft