1. Art
2. Art motifs
3. Art, Aboriginal Australian
4. Babies
5. Board books
6. Colour
7. Education
8. Geometry in nature
9. Glossaries and vocabularies
10. Landscapes
11. Teaching

‘People and Places’ is a small-sized wordless board book designed for sharing with babies and the very young. Featured are 10 Aboriginal symbols representing mountains; fire; man, woman and child; Moorups (Spirits); stars; spears; boomerangs; river holes; travelling places and rain. This board book is part of a series created to raise awareness of the importance of using Australian Aboriginal symbols to share stories with young people. The aim is also to introduce the spirituality of the Australian landscape and its Indigenous people.

Each image is coloured red, yellow and/or black, colours featured in the Aboriginal flag. Images are then surrounded by a border design in alternating red, yellow and black colours. This presentation style simultaneously offers simplicity and depth, which will encourage thought and discussion between adult and child.

The final page offers a ‘Legend’ displaying the 10 Aboriginal symbols throughout the book along with their meanings.

Debbie Austin is a Koorie artist of the Kirrae Whurrong nation in western Victoria. She is a mother of five children and has been painting specialist dot paintings for many years.

Series: Indigenous First Discovery Books

1. Book review: Indigenous First Discovery Series, by Debbie Austin, reviewed by Lisa Hill, 30 June 2014 https://lisahillschoolstuff.wordpress.com/2014/06/30/book-review-indigenous-first-discovery-series-by-debbie-austin/
2. ABC Local, ‘Australia’s first Indigenous books for toddlers’ by Jeremy Lee, 20 November 2008 https://www.abc.net.au/local/audio/2008/11/20/2424611.htm
3. The Standard News, ‘Page turns on new era of Indigenous storytelling’ by Alex Johnson, 19 November 2008 https://www.standard.net.au/story/729690/page-turns-on-new-era-of-indigenous-storytelling/
4. Debbie Austin, One Day Hill biographical profile http://www.onedayhill.com.au/authors/debbie-austin/