1. Animals
2. Art techniques
3. First Nations people
4. Historical fiction
5. History
6. Literary techniques
7. Mystery

From the earliest colonial times there have been stories from the Australian bush with sightings of a strange and frightening creature with a human shape. Using quotes from newspapers, which are also scattered across this book’s endpapers, we read first-hand accounts of human encounters with this mysterious creature. The quoted extracts jump backwards and forwards in time from as early as 1847 up to 1935 and from locations spread across Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland.

Readers gradually form an impression of this mystical beast and these descriptions are confirmed through the inky, atmospheric, blue wash illustrations. Despite the disparate reports from farmers, children and settlers there is a surprising consistency in the way the Yahoo is described. He is covered in bristly hair, has a powerful build, walks on two legs, and has a distinct cry. Dogs, in many reports, are also described as very afraid of this creature.

Between each of the newspaper accounts, Ngiyampaa Elder Peter Williams shares the indigenous perspective of this creature. In an afterword, Tobhy Riddle identifies places west of the Great Dividing Range which use the word Yahoo to label various landmarks.

A combination of print-stamp technique with ink-sponging over stencils creates a textured appearance like the daguerreotypes of early photographic history and adds authenticity to the story which falls somewhere between fiction and nonfiction. The structure of the text invites the reader to construct their own position.

Shortlisted CBCA Eve Pownall award 2020

1. Notes on the Making of ‘Yahoo Creek: an Australian Mystery’ by Tohby Riddle Link from Allen & Unwin publisher website, including inspiration, creator’s techniques and consultation with Aboriginal Elders https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/dimo.allenunwin.com/assets/teaching_resource/9781760631451.pdf
2. Reading Time review by Katy Gerner of ‘Yahoo Creek; an Australian Mystery’ 15 Mar 2019 http://readingtime.com.au/yahoo-creek-an-australian-mystery/
3. National Centre for Australian Children’s Literature National Centre for Australian Children’s Literature Resource, overview of ‘Yahoo Creek; an Australian Mystery’ https://www.ncacl.org.au/atsi_resource/yahoo-creek-an-australian-mystery/
4. The Bottom Shelf, review by Barbara Braxton of ‘Yahoo Creek: an Australian Mystery’, 27 Mar 2019 https://thebottomshelf.edublogs.org/2019/03/27/yahoo-creek-an-australian-mystery/
5. Blue Mountains Gazette, ‘Katoomba’s Tohby Riddle launches book on the hairy man – the yahoo or yowie’ 26 Mar 2019 https://www.bluemountainsgazette.com.au/story/5932365/riddle-me-this-does-the-yahoo-or-yowie-exist/
6. Tohby Riddle website explains the inspiration and sources for ‘Yahoo Creek: an Australian Mystery’ https://www.tohby.com/portfolio_page/yahoo-creek/