1. Alphabet
2. Art techniques
3. Asylum seekers
4. Australia
5. Book design
6. Colonisation
7. Identity
8. Multimodal narratives
9. Politics
10. Social life and customs
11. Symbolism
12. Visual literacy

‘Australia to Z’ shines a light on aspects of Australia’s culture and identity some of which are unique even humourous and some which are problematic. Each letter is illustrated in Armin Greder’s trademark muted dark and minimalist tones and some images are outlandish and grotesque. Many of the images may be controversial and potentially draw criticism. One example is the opening double page spread for the letters A and B where the letter A has an image of an Indigenous warrior standing on a cliff top whilst in the distance can be seen a sailing ship or B with its image of boat people.

Not every image is controversial. Some are well known aspects of Australian life such as K for kangaroo appearing suddenly in a car’s headlights or L for lamington showing those uniquely Australian chocolate and coconut covered cakes. Others do reflect darker areas of Australian life such as P for pokies, N for nationalist or D for digger the latter portraying a flag draped coffin. At the end of the book are the words of ‘Advance Australia Fair’ accompanied by illustrations that appear to challenge the anthem’s sentiments.

The book would be an interesting resource in a lesson or discussion on Australian identity and belonging.

1. Reading Time 7 March 2016. Lian Beveridge reviews ‘Australia to Z’ by Armin Greder https://readingtime.com.au/australia-to-z/
2. Story Talk Book Peeks. 20 July 2016. Christina Booth reviews ‘Australia to Z’ by Armin Greder https://www.christinabooth.com/story-talk-book-peeks/australia-to-z-armin-greder
3. Alpha Reader. 26 January 2016. Review of ‘Australia to Z’ by Armin Greder https://alphareader.blogspot.com/2016/01/australia-to-z-by-armin-greder.html
4. From Words to Worlds Blog. 25 March 2018. Mihaela discusses ‘Australia to Z’ by Armin Greder https://fromwordstoworlds.wordpress.com/2018/03/25/australia-to-z-by-armin-greder-an-alphabetical-compilation-of-symbols-that-define-australia-as-a-nation/
5. ReadPlus 24 January 2016. Barbara Braxton reviews ‘Australia to Z’ by Armin Greder https://www.readplus.com.au/reviews/6374
6. Achuka 27 February 2021. ‘Meet an illustrator 8 – Armin Greder’ https://www.achuka.co.uk/blog/meet-an-illustrator-8-armin-greder/