1. Art
2. Climate
3. Death
4. Empathy
5. Famine
6. Humanity
7. Natural disasters
8. Sadness
9. Safety
10. Visual literacy

Colin Thompson writes in his forward to ‘Dust’ that at any given time there are people dying from natural disasters. In 2005 news services worldwide reported on the famine that was killing thousands of people in Niger. Thompson decided to create this book to raise money to help the people especially the children of Niger.

Colin Thompson enlisted the help of fourteen well known Australian artists to create artwork that responded to his text. Each artist captured the brief text in their own style with images that are unapologetic in the message they convey. Often these artistic interpretations are vastly different to their usual work, prompting comparison with their other work. Their art is intentionally disturbing and painful. It is cringeworthy in that they reflect how much and how many of the world’s disasters most of us ignore. The book’s aim is to raise consciousness, to empower and to prompt action. As one reviewer says, ‘It is an invitation to care’.

At the front of the book are two forwards, one from Colin Thompson outlining the inspiration for the book and another from Margaret Douglas the then CEO of Save the Children Australia giving details of the crisis in Niger and outlining their assistance program. The funds raised from the book all went to the Save the Children program. A page at the end of the book links each artist to their image and also provides brief details about each artist.

‘Dust’ is a picture book for all generations. It brings to people across the globe the plight of children not just in Niger but those suffering humanitarian disasters everywhere. Similar to ‘Dust’ is Colin Thompson’s book ‘The Bicycle’ written to support the disadvantaged children of Cambodia where he travelled with the Save the Children organisation in 2008.

1. Speech Language Resources. Review of ‘Dust’ by Colin Thompson. http://www.speechlanguage-resources.com/dust-review.html
2. Gathering Books. July 26, 2014. Myra Garces-Bacsal reviews ‘Dust’ by Colin Thompson. https://gatheringbooks.org/2014/07/26/saturday-reads-colin-thompson-and-save-the-children-in-dust/
3. YouTube May 5, 2020. Mr O’Connor reads ‘Dust’ by Colin Thompson. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9jFgvbOoy8
4. Trevor Cairney blog. October 26, 2011 ‘Literacy, families and learning – Author Focus: Colin Thompson’. http://trevorcairney.blogspot.com/2011/10/author-focus-colin-thompson.html
5. The Guardian. August 10, 2005. ‘Niger President denies famine’. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2005/aug/10/famine.hearafrica05
6. Humanitarian Practice Network. Eilerts, Gary, ‘Niger 2005: not a famine, but something much worse.’ Issue 33: Article 6, April 18, 2006. https://odihpn.org/publication/niger-2005-not-a-famine-but-something-much-worse/
7. Save the Children 2018. ‘The Devasting Effects of Child Starvation & Malnutrition in Africa’. https://www.savethechildren.org/us/what-we-do/emergency-response/helping-starving-african-children