The presentation of this book is both simple and sophisticated featuring ten Australian animal artworks reproduced from John Gould’s well-known images for his 1863 book, ‘The Mammals of Australia’. Ten double page spreads offer familiar Australian animals, each introduced with the question, ‘Ngana ngai? Who am I?’ The question is then followed by the answer identifying the particular animal and a characterising feature. That final line is in the Kaura language from South Australia which is then translated into English. The final line for the kangroo is, ‘I carry my baby joey in my pouch’. Animals featured include the koala, parrot, kangaroo, cockatoo, wombat, emu, bat, magpie, echidna, and Tasmanian tiger. Each page is high gloss featuring a solid-coloured background for the text opposite Gould’s animal featured in their habitat.
Three sets of pages at the conclusion of the book offer information that suggests a much wider age range than the earlier text presentation. These double page spreads include a guide to pronouncing vowels and consonants according to the Kaurna alphabet. The second double page spread provides brief details of early Aboriginal languages and the National Library of Australia’s holdings of this material. A final double page invites young viewers to experience a young Kaurna boy’s cultural practices.
‘Ngana ngai? Who am I?’ was published to celebrate the International Year of Indigenous Languages in 2019.
Aboriginal and or Torres Strait Islander Resource
