1. Aboriginal Australians
2. Art motifs
3. Belonging
4. Bilingual books
5. Country
6. Cultural protocols
7. Culture
8. Dharug /​ Daruk /​ Darug people (S64) (NSW SI56-05)
9. Environment
10. Family
11. Glossaries and vocabularies
12. Home
13. Indigenous languages
14. Poetry
15. Relationship to place
16. Social life and customs

‘Open Your Heart to Country’ is Jasmine Seymour’s fourth picture book. She offers a bilingual appreciation of Country. It was created as an educational tool to teach young people about First Nations’ relationship with Country. But this is a book for everyone who loves their country.

What a gala opening! The endpapers feature a garden of flowers in a riot of colours—ruby reds, sassy oranges, purples and greens, set against a black background. The opening page offers intense bright and dark colours highlighting a family of nine lounging beneath a tree. They gaze at the viewer and the soaring black birds overhead while leaves and birds splash across the double page spread. A closer look at this family reveals their names in small print. They are ready to open their hearts to Country. There is a sense of oneness between people, land and animals, each appreciating the other.

The text curves across the page reflecting the lyrical, rhythmic expression, such as ‘river of stars’. Mesmerising images are a combination of mixed media, printmaking and digital collage. These soar across the double pages featuring perspectives from the sky above, the world beneath and the land between blending shades of deep blues, aquas and purples juxtaposed against dark golds, russets, browns and splashes of white.

‘Open Your Heart to Country’, the author explains, is designed to connect people to Country through both images and words. English and Dharug languages sit side by side on double pages reflecting the author’s wish to revitalise the Dharug language. At the conclusion of the book both English and Dharug languages appear with a brief phonetics guide to pronunciation.

Jasmine Seymour is a Darug woman and descendant of Maria Lock, who was the daughter of Yarramundi, the Boorooberongal elder who met Governor Phillip on the banks of the Hawkesbury River in 1791. Jasmine is from the NSW Hawkesbury area of NSW.

1. Paperbarkwords blog by Joy Lawn featuring an interview with Jasmine Seymour about her book ‘Open Your Heart to Country’, 23 June 2022 https://paperbarkwords.blog/2022/06/23/open-your-heart-to-country-by-jasmine-seymour%EF%BF%BC/
2. Magabala Books Teacher Notes by Erika Dizon for ‘Open Your Heart to Country’ written and illustrated by Jasmine Seymour http://static.booktopia.com.au/pdf/9781922613769-1.pdf
3. ReadPlus review by Fran Knight of ‘Open Your Heart to Country’ written and illustrated by Jasmine Seymour https://www.readplus.com.au/reviews/open-your-heart-to-country
4. Fun with Captain Starlight, ‘Open Your Heart to Country’ by Jasmine Seymour who reads her book, YouTube 22min, 4 Aug 2022. Jasmine Seymour’s reading of her book is 4.45min into the YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AhuTzj9d2ls
5. Books+Publishing interview by Jacqui Davis with ‘Jasmine Seymour on ‘Opening Your Heart to Country’, 5 Apr 2022 https://www.booksandpublishing.com.au/articles/2022/04/05/212602/jasmine-seymour-on-open-your-heart-to-country/
6. Booktopia Guest Blogger, ‘Ten Terrifying Questions with Jasmine Seymour!’ 19 Jul 2022 https://www.booktopia.com.au/blog/2022/07/19/ten-terrifying-questions-with-jasmine-seymour/