1. Animals
2. Art techniques
3. Child /​ parent separation
4. Clouds
5. Country
6. Endpapers
7. Families
8. Indigenous languages
9. Kangaroos
10. Kooma/Guwamu people (D33) (Qld SH55-03)
11. Love
12. Mothers
13. Stolen generations

What seems to be a simple story about a kangaroo and her joey is much more complex. This beautifully illustrated picture book in both Kooma and English tells the story of a mother kangaroo and the strong bond she has with her joey. The book is an ode to the power and universal nature of mother love.

Cheryl Leavy has added a message for older readers at the back of the book stating that this book is based on a story she was told by her grandmother about being stolen from her family in the 1930s. She would look up into the clouds and remember her mother. Upon reading Cheryl’s message, one then feels a strong emotion upon rereading the book.

Despite the emotional background to the story, it is a book that could be enjoyed and read to younger children who would see and relate to the mother kangaroo watching out for her young joey and how the young joey is always watching to see where the mother is. Older readers may come to a greater understanding of the loss that Stolen Generation people have felt, and this could lead to further discussion and research. A glossary of Kooma words is included at the end of the book.

Christopher Bassi’s beautifully detailed artwork was created using hand sketching, coloured pencils, watercolours and digital collage. Using images of Kooma Country provided by the author he worked to capture the light, heat and golden glow of the sun on the land contrasted against the softness of the kangaroos fur. The detailed flower design of Australian native everlasting daisies could be seen as reflecting the deep and everlasting love of mothers for their children.

Cheryl Leavy is an award-winning poet and writer from the Kooma and Nguri nations in western and central Queensland. She loves to present First Nations Culture, history and Country through her writing. Christopher Bassi is an artist of Meriam, Yupungathi and British descent whose work was represented in the Museum of Contemporary Art's exhibition, Primavera 2023: Young Australian Artists.

1. University of Queensland Press Teaching notes by Cara Shipp for ‘Yanga Mother’ by Cheryl Leavy and Chrstopher Bassi https://d3f44jafdqsrtg.cloudfront.net/teacher-notes/Yanga-Mother-Teachers-Notes-Final.pdf
2. Queensland University Press ‘Yanga Mother: Kooma Language Pronunciations’ Voiced by Cheryl Leavy https://www.uqp.com.au/books/yanga-mother
3. Alphabet Soup 7 August 2024. Rebecca Newman interviews Cheryl Leavy https://alphabetsoup.net.au/2024/08/07/cheryl-leavy-on-yanga-mother/
4. Storylinks 23 August 2024. Lara Cain Gray reviews ‘Yanga Mother’ by Cheryl Leavy and Christopher Bassi https://storylinks.booklinks.org.au/2024/08/23/yanga-mother/
5. Artist Profile. ‘Christopher Bassi’ https://artistprofile.com.au/christopher-bassi/
6. Art Guide Australia 25 January 2024. Louise Martin-Chew writes ‘Inside Christopher Bassi’s beautiful Brisbane studio’ https://artguide.com.au/inside-christopher-bassis-beautiful-brisbane-studio/