‘Colombian Heart and Australian Soul’ is a celebration of life in the countries of Colombia and Australia. Festivities and life’s daily activities showcase, compare and contrast the Colombian and Australian cultures. The dual English and Spanish languages on adjacent pages invite comparisons and reading aloud. The rhyming text invites reading aloud with gusto. The illustrations highlight unique aspects of each country featuring clothing, food, dance, music, sporting events and more. There is an especially appealing page featuring Colombian sweets and Australia’s much-loved TimTam and Freddo chocolates. There are barbeque scenes and festival foods. There are outdoor scenes and theatre performances, all encouraging the comparison and appreciation of each country’s culture.
The highly detailed, stylised, and intensely coloured illustrations fill each double page spread inviting the onlooker to hunt for and compare the many details. The English and Spanish texts usually appear on adjacent pages, inviting comparison between the written languages. The repeated first line refrain: ‘Our family has Colombian heart and Australian soul’ invites readers to join in the story. The rich vocabulary throughout features some unfamiliar English vocabulary, provoking readers to pause, consider then read the text aloud.
The final line captures this story’s intent: ‘Colombian heart, Australian soul, they complement each other’. César Álvarez is from Colombia. Co-Founder and Chair of the Australia-Colombia Dialogue, he lives in Canberra with his wife and two children. The illustrator, Andrés González, lives in Amsterdam.
NCACL Cultural Diversity Database
