‘Where’s my baby?’ is a participation board book that will immediately engage the very young with its descriptive words. Starring is a mother hunting for her baby. With each page turn, mother encounters yet another animal (and one human). A short description follows such as ‘That guda is too fluffy’ or ‘That warraba is too hard’—obviously not her baby!
Midway through the story there is a sense of urgency: ‘Where’s my baby?’ Young viewers will turn the page in great anticipation, possibly having guessed the answer. Now we see a kangaroo pouch, and mother feels a ‘bump, thump.’ She discovers her baby has been there in her pouch all the time! Underlying this simple story is a larger, important story of the importance of family and connection and the comfort of being together.
Each double page features a different brightly coloured background with a range of Aboriginal circle patterns in the background. ‘Where’s my baby?’ includes the added feature that the names of the animals or the human appear in the Gamilaraay language. At the back of the book, there is a list of the Gamilaraay words, their definitions and pronunciations.
Gregg Dreise is a storyteller, artist, and musician. He is a descendent of the Kamilaroi and Euahlayi people of southwest Queensland and northwest New South Wales.
Aboriginal and or Torres Strait Islander Resource
