1. Animals
2. Astronomy
3. Boomerangs
4. Creation
5. Culture
6. Emus
7. Endpapers
8. Friendship
9. Humour
10. Indigenous knowledge
11. Kangaroos
12. Mbabaram people Y115 (Qld SE55-05)
13. Oral storytelling
14. Perseverance
15. Science
16. Shadows
17. Sky
18. Sun
19. Tool making
20. Visual literacy

This creation story from the Mbabaram people in the Atherton Tablelands in Far North Queensland tells how the first sunrise came about and how the sun gives us light, time and the four directions, north, south, east and west.

Before this was the forever time – ‘no days, no nights …’ Kangaroo and Emu wandered the country that is until a loud voice boomed out. It was Mulungh the great creator. He taught them how to make a throw a boomerang and that if they hit the right spot ‘something huge’ would happen.

Taking turns, they threw the boomerang and while their skill improved nothing huge happened until Kangaroo threw the boomerang harder and further than before and it seemed to disappear. They waited a long time until it at last with a thud but in the distance something strange and bright was rising. Scared they had broken something, Mulungh told them I said if you hit the right spot something huge would happen and it has – it is the Sun. Mulungh explained how the sun would arc across the sky rising in the east and setting in the west and how the other directions could be found and what that black thing stuck to their feet was and how their shadow could help them.

The artwork is bright and lively. The body language and facial expressions of Kangaroo and Emu encapsulate perfectly the pride and joy they feel in what they accomplished. The endpapers show the tracks of Kangaroo and Emu reflecting when they roamed the Country in the forever time.

Accompanying the story are simple line drawings that explain and clarify scientific points regarding kangaroos and emus, how boomerangs work and the movement of the sun over time.

‘The First Sunrise’ is the first Mbabaram creation story to be published and uses the connection between traditional knowledge and science to impart facts and lessons for children. It is the first in a new series from Magabala Books called First Peoples First Sciences.

Vanessa Stevens is an educator and a proud Mbabaram, Yidinji, Kaanju and Taribelang Bunda woman from Far North Queensland. Award winning illustrator Paul Seden is descended from the Wuthathi and Muralag people of North Queensland.

Series title: First Peoples First Sciences

1. Magabala Books Teaching notes by Christina Wheeler for ‘The First Sunrise’ by Vanessa Stevens and Paul Seden https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0092/5043/9268/files/The_First_Sunrise_-_Teacher_s_Notes_Feb_2025.pdf?v=1741152833
2. ReadPlus 31 March 2025. Michelle O’Connell reviews ‘The First Sunrise’ by Vanessa Stevens and Paul Seden https://www.readplus.com.au/reviews/the-first-sunrise
3. Reading Time 2 July 2025 Cherie Bell reviews ‘The First Sunrise’ by Vanessa Stevens and Paul Seden https://readingtime.com.au/the-first-sunrise/
4. Just So Stories 5 April 2025. Review of ‘The First Sunrise’ by Vanessa Stevens and Paul Seden https://losangzopa.blog/2025/04/05/the-first-sunrise-nessa-stevens-paul-seder/
5. Kids Academy YouTube – ‘How the Sun affects the Earth’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_jiQzoQF5M