1. Bravery
2. Celebrations
3. Courage
4. Crocodiles
5. Endpapers
6. Friendship
7. Gooniyandi people K6
8. Humour
9. Leadership
10. Play
11. Respect
12. Safety
13. Social life and customs
14. Survival

Goorramindi is a strong, old crocodile. He lives near the Muludja Community where the Gooniyandi people live. A map reveals the story’s location. Goorramindi patrols the Margaret River and enjoys playing with the Gooniyandi children. Disaster strikes when the old crocodile Walwarrangga takes one of the children. Plucky Goorramindi chases down Walwarrangga and a ferocious fight ensures between the two crocodiles. Both being strong, neither crocodile wins. The enlarged red and orange text captures this ferocious battle with fighting words, such as hisses, whips, thrashes, chomp and thwack, scattered across the page. These ensure an appealing and noisy read aloud experience.

Even though Goorramindi is the younger crocodile, he grows tired, realises he cannot beat this strong old croc and departs with the rescued boy riding on his back and thus arriving safely home. There is a big feast in the Muludja Community to celebrate their return. Although Goorramindi does not defeat the older crocodile and hence the battle is a draw, he does achieve the rescue of the boy and reunites him with his friends back home.

The endpapers feature plants and other items which appear throughout the text and offer an activity for children. The underlying idea behind ‘Goorramindi the Crocodile’ is the deep ties between place, people and story.

Quinlan Jaffrey is a Gooniyandi and Palyku man from the Kimberley and Pilbara regions of Northwest Australia. ‘Goorramindi the Crocodile’ is his first book. ‘Goorramindi the Crocodile’ honours the memory of Quinlan’s Jaja (Grandfather). Isaac Cherel is known to many as Goorramindi, an elder of the Gooniyandi language group and instrumental in preserving culture in the Muludja Community.

Jade Goodwin is an illustrator and Gamilaroi person from the Hunter Valley region of New South Wales. She is known for her vibrant and imaginative creations. She developed her interest in art through her grandparents’ screen-printing studio.

1. Jade Goodwin’s website with an autobiographical profile and information about her books https://jadegoodwin.com.au/about-1 https://jadegoodwin.com.au/books/goorramindi
2. ReadPlus 10 Dec 2025 review by Fran Knight of ‘Goorramindi the Crocodile’ https://www.readplus.com.au/reviews/gooramindi-the-crocodile
3. Reading Time 23 Nov 2025 review by Linda Guthrie of ‘Goorramindi the Crocodile’ https://readingtime.cbca.org.au/goorramindi-the-crocodile/
4. Good Reading Magazine synopsis of ‘Goorramindi the Crocodile’ plus author/illustrator profiles https://goodreadingmagazine.com.au/titlepage/goorramindi-the-crocodile/
5. Magabala Books colouring sheet featuring Goorramindi the Crocodile https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0092/5043/9268/files/Goorramindi_the_Crocodile-Magabala_Books-Colouring_Sheet.pdf
6. Magabala Books biographical profile of Jade Goodwin https://www.magabala.com/collections/jade-goodwin