1. Adventure stories
2. Animals
3. Boonwurrung people (S35)
4. Bravery
5. Country
6. Creation
7. Dreaming
8. Eagles
9. Family
10. Fantasy
11. First Nations people
12. Glossaries and vocabularies
13. Religion
14. Responsibility

Tasma Walton is well known for her acting roles and a book for adults about her Aboriginal ancestor that she discovered as an adult. Recently she has published middle primary school stories to bring Aboriginal culture to young readers. Walton explains that her aim is to introduce stories of strong Aboriginal heroines and their adventures with Boonwurrung Creation Beings to young readers. Boonwurrung language features throughout with a glossary of 13 words at the story’s conclusion.

When Nerra opens her great-grandmother’s box of artefacts she finds a feathered headband which is missing some of its feathers. When Nerra tries on the headband she is whisked into the Dreaming to help the Creation Beings fight against the evil Devour’ena. Nerra’s task is to retrieve the missing feathers and save the birds – Bunjil the Eagle and Waa the Raven. She must bring the Creation back into balance so Devour’ena cannot overpower the winds of Waa. The story features multiple characters and ongoing action. These hasten the pace of the story’s fourteen chapters and keep the reader turning the pages. Line and grey illustrations break up the text and feature throughout. The author’s story draws on the stories of the Boonwurrung people of coastal Melbourne.

Tasma Walton is a proud Boonwurrung woman from the saltwater Country of Melbourne and surrounding coastlines. As an award-winning actress, she has appeared in numerous television productions, films and theatre. Samantha Campbell grew up in the Northern Territory and lives in Alice Springs. She is descended from the Dagoman people from Katherine and grew up in remote communities across the Top End. Campbell has created illustrations for several picture books using a range of illustration styles.

Nerra: Deep Time Traveller Book 2 The Winds of Waa

1. Scholastic Teaching Notes by Rae Carlyle for ‘The Winds of Waa’ https://resource.scholastic.com.au/ResourceFiles/100134003_123810.pdf
2. The Book Muse 21 Aug 2024 Ashleigh Meikle reviews ‘The Winds of Waa’ https://ashleighmeikle.com.au/2024/08/21/nerra-deep-time-traveller-the-winds-of-waa-by-tasma-walton/
3. Scholastic Authors & Illustrators profile of Tasma Walton along with summaries of her series of novels for children, ‘Nerra: deep time traveller’ https://scholastic.com.au/booksellers/authors-and-illustrators/authors-and-illustrators-u-z/tasma-walton/
4. Good Reading Apr 2025 ‘Tasman Walton on her favourite books and I am Narrertgarrook’ including her favourite books as a child https://goodreadingmagazine.com.au/article/tasma-walton/
5. Wikipedia ‘Tasma Walton’ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tasma_Walton
6. Marie Claire 7 Mar 2018 ‘Tasma Walton Reveals the Life Lessons She Teaches her Daughter’ https://www.marieclaire.com.au/news/celebrity/tasma-walton-rove-mcmanus-raising-daughter-ruby/