1. Adventure stories
2. Astronomy
3. Brothers
4. Bunyips
5. Country
6. Courage
7. Danger
8. Environment
9. Fear
10. Indigenous knowledge
11. Missing children
12. Monsters
13. Perseverance
14. Persistence
15. Relationship to place
16. Stories and motifs

Wumbirr and his sister, Ngariin, love exploring and learning about their Country—where rivers, lakes and mountains lay and where kangaroos rest when the weather is hot. One day, Wumbirr goes into the bush to retrieve firewood, but a bunyip grabs him. So now his sister, Ngariin, must muster her courage and knowledge of the bush to rescue him. Exploring a cave, Ngariin discovers the roof is covered in glow worms. Might their light guide her as she hunts through the dark bush? Outside the cave again, she releases the glow worms into the sky—there they represent the rivers, lakes and mountains and show where trees grow fruit. Now with the sky lit up, the children can find their way home.

Ngariin hears her brother calling from under a billabong. She dives into a cave where she discovers her brother. An exciting climax follows as the bunyip is defeated and the brother is rescued. The illustrator features the bunyip dramatically leaping from the page giving a mighty Roarrrrrrrrr! The Australian countryside features throughout. This satisfying rescue has ended well. The endpapers, featuring the star constellations, are the perfect entry and exit to this search and rescue adventure story.

The National Museum of Australia plans a series of five unique Australian stories to engage children and their carers during their visits to their play and learn space at their Discovery Centre. Adam Duncan reveals that, ‘This book is culturally significant, as it represents a continuation of Biripi cultural practice, and I am so glad to have been involved.’ Paul Lalo of the Melbourne-based animation boutique, Soymilk Studio, has created the illustrations in three-dimensional collage style.

Adam Duncan is a Biripi man. His ancestors were traditional custodians of lands in the Manning River region of New South Wales. He was born in Campbelltown on Tharawal Country and grew up in Bathurst on the land of the Wiradjuri people. He lives and works on Ngunnawal/Ngambri Country as a visual artist, cultural education consultant and preschool teacher at Wiradjuri Preschool at the University of Canberra. He developed ‘The Bunyip and the Stars’ using First Nations oral storytelling traditions with the help of the Wiradjuri Preschool Children. The YouTube teaching resource reveals Adam Duncan’s special relationship with this story.

The National Museum of Australia is planning a series related to this book.

1. YouTube ALEA and the Foundation for Learning and Literacy, 2024 ‘The Bunyip and the Stars: the importance of storytelling’ an interview with Adam Duncan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jEupQ2a5wE
2. National Museum of Australia 28 Apr 2023 ‘Biripi man Adam Duncan debuts First Nations picture book, ‘The Bunyip and the Stars’ https://www.nma.gov.au/about/media/media-releases-listing-by-year/2023/adam-duncan-bunyip-stars-book
3. National Museum of Australia Press Teacher notes by Kellie Nissen for ‘The Bunyip and the Stars’ https://lamontbooks.com.au/media/208009/publisher-notes-bunyip-and-the-stars.pdf
4. National Indigenous Times article by Phoebe Blogg 24 Sept 2024 ‘Adam Duncan's The Bunyip and the Stars wins Australian Museums and Galleries Association’s Kids in Print award’ https://nit.com.au/24-09-2024/13883/first-nations-author-adam-duncan-wins-the-australian-museums-and-galleries-associations-kids-in-print-award-for-his-debut-book-the-bunyip-and-the-stars
5. The Sector Early Education News, Jobs and More 3 May 2023 article by Freya Lucas ‘Adam Duncan uses ECEC knowledge and experience to share First Nations stories’ https://thesector.com.au/2023/05/03/adam-duncan-uses-ecec-knowledge-and-experience-to-share-first-nations-stories/
6. Canberra Daily 28 Apr 2023 article by Jessica Cordwell ‘Canberra Author Tells of Bunyips and Stars in Debut Children’s Picture book’ https://canberradaily.com.au/canberra-author-tells-of-bunyips-and-stars-in-debut-childrens-book/
7. ABC Listen 29 Apr 2023 by Christine Anu interviews Adam Duncan, author of ‘The Bunyip and the Stars’. 21 min playing time https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/weekendevenings/the-bunyip-and-the-stars/102269334
8. Tim and Gina Fairfax Discovery Centre at the National Museum of Australia https://www.nma.gov.au/whats-on/fairfax-discovery-centre