A non-Indigenous boy and his mum – based on co-author Ellie Laing and her son – are led on a walk on Country by Uncle Boris, an Aboriginal Elder. This day inspires them both as they learn the history of Garangal and the Cammeraygal people who call it home.
This is the fourth book in the Welcome to Our Country series. As with the other titles, the three creators strive to increase the knowledge and understanding of all Australians with an engaging format and likeable characters. Illustrator David Hardy’s experience as an animator enables him to create individual faces and postures as each person on the tour is shown reacting to the Elder’s knowledge sharing. Sepia is subtly used when talking about first contact with Europeans, but the overall colouring of the book is bright and right now - Uncle Boris wears a park ranger’s uniform and the story is told in the present tense. Landmarks ground the text firmly on Country in twenty-first century Sydney, but the story is one that can be related to Australia-wide. The endpapers are an important addition to the text’s limited integration of language. These include vignettes of scenes from the book that are captioned with both Cammeraygal and English words. Biographies of the authors and illustrator are appended.
Adam Goodes is a former Australian Rules footballer who fought against racism and became Australian of the Year in 2014. He is an Adnyamathanha and Narungga man from South Australia well known for his advocacy in First Nations affairs. Non-Indigenous communications professional, Ellie Laing, lives on the lands of the Cammeraygal people. David Hardy is a Barkindji man who has worked on children’s books and animated feature films.
Series title: Welcome to Our Country
Aboriginal and or Torres Strait Islander Resource
