1. Children as artists
2. Children as authors
3. Children, Aboriginal Australian
4. Crocodiles
5. Friendship
6. Humour
7. Kindness
8. Literacy

This collection of 13 stories was developed during a series of writing and illustrating workshops with children from remote Indigenous communities across the Northern Territory and Western Australia. The workshops were run by children’s author Andy Griffiths. Children at the workshops were given the freedom to create stories based on their own life experiences. The stories included in this collection are at turns humorous, dramatic, playful and scary!

Each story reflects, in some way, life experiences in a remote community. The children have shared their experiences of hunting for emu eggs, playing at the playground, playing football, running from angry mamus, riding motorbikes, fishing and camping. Young readers who are city based will be fascinated and entertained by the insights provided by these stories of life in a remote community. Additionally, children who do live in remote communities will find value in encountering stories that reflect their own lives. These stories aim to encourage a love of literacy and sharing of story. The illustrations are full of warmth, humour and energy, and perfectly accompany these vibrant and engaging tales of life in remote areas of Australia. Universal themes of friendship run through these stories, a gentle reminder that it is friendship, kindness and empathy that ultimately connect us all.

This book would be a valuable addition to a home or school library to stimulate conversation about life in remote communities, art techniques, and ways of sharing story.

1. Facebook. The Indigenous Literacy Foundation. 1 September 2011. ‘The Naked Boy and the Crocodile: Calli-Rose reads her story.’ https://www.facebook.com/IndigenousLiteracyFoundation/videos/the-naked-boy-and-the-crocodile/2158679980169/
2. YouTube. 3 September 2012. Indigenous Literacy Foundation. ‘Indigenous Literacy Day Message – Andy Griffiths.’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfgCS7EELfk&feature=emb_title
3. Our Languages. 4 September 2011. ‘Silly Stories with a Serious Message.’ https://ourlanguages.org.au/silly-stories-with-a-serious-message/
4. Northern Territory government. NT Curriculum Framework – Indigenous Languages and Culture. https://education.nt.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/270337/indigenous_lang_cult.pdf
5. Japinkgka Aboriginal Art. ‘Aboriginal Art Lesson Plans for Visual Art Teachers. (requires downloading of zipfiles to access the art lesson plans and worksheets). https://japingkaaboriginalart.com/education/lesson-plans/#downloads
6. Victoria State Government. Education & Training. ‘Literacy Teaching Toolkit – Exploring and creating texts.’ https://www.education.vic.gov.au/childhood/professionals/learning/ecliteracy/emergentliteracy/Pages/exploringandcreatingtexts.aspx