In this traditional bilingual story from Areyonga in the Northern Territory, a young girl is taken far from her family by a Kupi-Kupi (willy-willy) and thrown down a waterhole. While her parents give up hope, the witch doctor searches for her and finds her, sad and homesick, being watched over by the wanampi (water snake/rainbow snake). Vividly-coloured torn-and-cut paper collage is used to good effect in the dramatic illustrations. Against a desert landscape of simple shapes, the silhouette of the young girl helplessly spins in the whirling kupi-kupi.
Daphne Puntjina Burton and Carolyn Windy, are from Areyonga, located in the James Ranges, 240 kms south west of Alice Springs in the Northern Territory, and have been actively involved in the community school, teaching culture and language to students. Written as parallel text in English and Pitjantjatjara, the book concludes with a detailed pronunciation guide and wordlist.