This rich, multi-layered picture book invites readers to explore Australia’s true history and embark on a healing journey.
The early beginnings show a ‘nurtured land’ with thriving plant and animal life. A dramatic change comes with the introduction of new species, such as sheep and hens, which represent the arrival of the first Europeans. The land suffers, and uncertainty and mistrust are suggested in the text and illustrations. But ‘Story Doctors’ demonstrates that if we look after the land, it can recover and look after us. Native and introduced species can live side by side. And their stories can intertwine to form a shared history that unites us.
A character depicted as strands of multi-coloured thread features throughout the book. The thread person is all of us. It gathers strands of coloured thread as it travels forward through history, and gains in knowledge, experience and understanding.
The story is written in lyrical verse in the third person. The language is warm, melodious and complex. Many of the lines rhyme and there are multiple examples of internal rhyme. The illustrations are hand-drawn with an electronic pencil in Procreate. Each double spread features a wealth of detail. Several spreads depict songlines and song circles that represent special achievements by First Nations peoples, important places, and things and actions to inspire hope.
In his two-page afterword, renowned Indigenous storyteller Boori Monty Pryor explains that he has shaped the ‘eco echoes’ of the past into written words of medicine in ‘Story Doctors’. His aim: to help both himself and readers find a way to heal from pain.
‘Story Doctors’ is a gentle yet powerful plea for truth-telling as an important step towards reconciliation. The final words neatly sum it up, ‘It’s in the song . . . if we listen, we all belong’. If readers are open to exploring the past, and acknowledging Australia’s true history, there is the potential for healing and a healthy future for everyone.
Boori Monty Pryor and illustrator Rita Sinclair worked in close collaboration on this ‘Story Doctors’. The detailed teacher’s notes, written by the illustrator, will provide readers with invaluable information on this picture book’s many facets.
Boori Monty Pryor is a multi-award winning storyteller, actor and performer. His father was from the Juru people of Cape Upstart from the Bowen region. His mother is a descendant of the Gurubana Moiety group from the Kunggandji Nation near Carins. Rita Sinclair is a schoolteacher and illustrator from North Queensland.
Aboriginal and or Torres Strait Islander Resource
