1. Animals
2. Babies
3. Board books
4. Kangaroos
5. Landscapes
6. Music
7. Night
8. Parent and child
9. Platypuses
10. Singing
11. Sleep

‘Tjitji Lullaby’ was originally written and performed by Electric Fields for ABC Kids, and now exists as an accompanying board book of 20 pages. It features a gentle lullaby to sing baby animals to sleep (human babies too). The video version of the lullaby is regularly aired on ABC Kids and available on ABC iView.

The word ‘tjitji’ means ‘child’ in the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara languages. The board book features some of Australia’s best-known animals, including a kangaroo and joey, and a platypus and its young. Each double spread shows the animal(s) against a backdrop of sea, bush or sky. The sun is setting at the start of the book, making for some striking reddish/orange skies. By the end, night has fallen, the sky is sprinkled with stars, and the lullaby comes to a close.

The text is simple with just one short sentence on each spread. Words and phrases are repeated, creating a soothing, almost hypnotic effect. The artwork is a magnificent combination of bold brushstrokes, dot art, and softly outlined animals with genuine appeal. Sometimes, the animals are shown individually. They include a cross-eyed joey in close-up with a butterfly on its snout, and a green tree frog with big black eyes and a broad grin. At other times, the adult animal is shown interacting with its young: one particularly tender illustration shows an azure kingfisher nesting with its chick.

The text and illustrations work together to create a calm, safe space for young children and their caregivers. Nighttime is not presented as a threat, but as a natural end to the day. The adult animals are never far away—and very present at the end of the book. They encourage their young to look back on the ‘gorgeous’ day and go to sleep on the ‘calmest of waters’. This is a good book choice for helping to allay any fears and assist the transition to bedtime.

Michael Ross and Zaachariaha Fielding are bandmates in the South Australian electronic music duo Electric Fields and are known for incorporating the Yankunytjatjara language in their songwriting. Zaachariaha Fielding grew up in Mimili, a remote community in the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara lands, northeast of Adelaide. He is also an award-winning artist.

Lisa Kennedy is a Pairrebeene/Trawlwoolway storyteller and artist and a descendant of Woretemoeteyenner from Northeast Tasmania.

1. ABC Kids (Video animation). Singing Baby Animals to Sleep. Tjitji Lullaby https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KyDappOxDho
2. ABC Kids Tjitji lullaby. Explanation of the lullaby, the full text and how to pronounce the words https://www.abc.net.au/abckids/lullaby/13419088
3. Australian Government. Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water. ‘Anangu Language.’ https://www.dcceew.gov.au/parks-heritage/national-parks/uluru-kata-tjuta-national-park/culture-and-history/anangu-language
4. National Geographic Education. Hannah Reyes Morales. ‘What the Lullabies We Sing to Our Children Reveal About Us’ https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/what-lullabies-we-sing-our-children-reveal-about-us/
5. Inma. Zaachariaha Fielding. Wynne Prize 2023. https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/prizes/wynne/2023/30577/
6. Australian Geographic, Art Gallery of New South Wales. Gallery: Australia’s cutest baby animals. https://www.australiangeographic.com.au/topics/wildlife/2013/11/gallery-australias-cutest-baby-animals/
7. HarperCollinsPublishersAustralia. Biographical profile of Michael Ross https://www.harpercollins.com.au/cr-151428/michael-ross/
8. The Bottom Shelf 10 Dec 2022 review by Barbara Braxton of ‘Tjitji Lullaby’ https://thebottomshelf.edublogs.org/?s=Tjitji+Lullaby
9. Books+Publishing 27 Sept 2022 review by Romi Sharp of ‘Tjitji Lullaby’ https://www.booksandpublishing.com.au/articles/2022/09/27/220366/tjitji-lullaby-michael-ross-zaachariaha-fielding-illus-by-lisa-kennedy-abc-books/