This story is a joyous celebration of belonging in a big family and the security and freedom this provides. Simply told, and from the perspective of the younger children, it resonates with the uncontained exuberance that young children have when happy and secure.
A family set out to walk to the beach where they plan to camp for the night. Along the way they have to cross cattle yards with a large bull, they stop to visit another family near a billabong and they traverse a graveyard. Each time we learn how sensibly the grown-ups behave. This however is countered by the cheeky phrase ‘But not us’ and we see what the young ones do instead. Running across in front of the bull, searching for duck eggs and getting wet under the taps in the cemetery. Once they arrive at the beach the same theme ‘But not us’ continues as they search for cockles as oysters are ‘Yuk’, swim, play and finally fall asleep while the grown-ups tell stories around the fire.
The colourful and evocative illustrations of the family adventure were created using gouache (water based paint) on paper and add greatly to the sense of family togetherness. The beautiful endpapers map out the path of the story as the family walks from their home across Townsville to the beach.
It is a simple, beautifully told tale of family life that would be a useful starting point in encouraging children to tell their own stories of family activities.
Author Sylvia Emmerton was born in Townsville and is a descendent of the Kalkadoon people. She lived there till she was six and this story is based on her memories of that time in the 1950s. This was her first published story and won a Black Ink Award in 2002. Illustrator Jaquanna Elliott is an established painter and sculptor and is a descendant of the Dunghutti people of the NSW North Coast. This is her first picture story book.
Aboriginal and or Torres Strait Islander Resource
