Told from the perspective of two young Indigenous girls, Lilli and Annie, the four short easy-to-read stories in this collection offer personal and authentic insights into family life on the unique coastal environment of the northwest of Western Australia, along with a dash of fantasy, humour and adventure. In ‘Lilli and Her Shadow’ and ‘Lilli and Her Shadow in Trouble’, young Lilli is reluctantly leaving the Kimberley and her large extended family, including her beloved Nan, to live in the city with her mum and dad. However, a strange shape-shifting creature, a dingo cat, changes everything and helps Lilli adjust to a new school and making friends. In the following story, Lilli and Nan, help Shadow when his home, the mango tree is possessed by another spirit. In ‘Beach Sports Car’ and ‘A Cyclone is Coming!’ we meet Annie, who lives with her family in a caravan in Useless Loop, a small coastal town between Geraldton and Carnarvon. Annie’s life is full of adventure from the excitement at the prospect of building the family’s very own beach sports car with her inventive dad to preparing for an ominous cyclone that threatens, not just their home, but the entire town.
Written in simple language and featuring short chapters with half-page black-and-white monotone illustrations scattered throughout, this collection is ideal for progressing readers. All of the stories reflect the childhood experiences of the respective authors, Pat Dudgeon, Laura Dudgeon and Sabrian Dudgeon-Swift, who are descended from the Beniol Bardi people from north of Broome. Darlene Oxenham, a Malgana woman (from the country between Geraldton and Carnarvon), grew up in the small coastal town of Useless Loop. Tracey Gibbs is a contemporary printmaker from Perth, Western Australia.
Aboriginal and or Torres Strait Islander Resource
