Three terrific children's books from Indigenous Australians
In anticipation of the Blak & Bright festival (which kicks off tomorrow evening, hooray!), children’s bookseller Angela Crocombe shares a sample of her favourite books from Indigenous Australians for young readers.
For YA readers:
I recently had a chance to read Becoming Kirrali Lewis, last year’s debut YA novel from Festival Director Jane Harrison, and I could not put it down.
Set in the late 80s, this is the story of Kirrali, a naive country girl who is off to Melbourne University for the first time. Adopted into a loving and inclusive white family, she has never wanted to explore her indigenous roots before now but when she arrives in the big city, a few experiences convinces her otherwise. The story of her burgeoning political awareness as a young indigenous woman is beautiful to behold and the reader is gently educated along with Kirrali in a variety of indigenous experiences. It also recounts the story from Kirrali’s mother’s perspective and why she felt obligated to give her daughter up.
The story strayed far from conventional stereotypes and the characters were drawn with such warmth and love that I really didn’t want to ever let them go. I highly recommend Becoming Kirrali Lewis to readers who enjoy a beautiful coming-of-age narrative. I’m looking forward to reading more from Harrison.
For middle fiction readers:
Bruce Pascoe is a highly accomplished writer and I thoroughly enjoyed his latest book for younger readers, Seahorse, earlier this year.
12-year-old Jack and younger sister, Tanya, escape with their parents, Vince and Carla, to remote and beautiful Seahorse Bay whenever they can. Carla spends her time fishing, Vince scuba dives for crayfish and Jack – with Tanya for the first time this year – snorkels along the channel hunting for abalone. Then they cook up their seafood on an open fire and enjoy the great outdoors. When Jack notices an abandoned boat glinting on the ocean floor, Vince takes them to the police station to report it straight away. But who is the strange man in black watching them and the ocean so intently? What is the mystery surrounding the sunken boat?
This is wonderful realist fiction with strongly-realised Indigenous characters from a master storyteller. The writing is clean and spare, with a love of landscape and the ocean in particular, shining from every page. Readers aged 8+ will enjoy this adventure story, and it would also be suitable for older reluctant readers.
For picture book readers:
We have a number of beautiful picture books from Indigenous Australians to browse, but a clear favourite for me is The Rainbow Serpent by Dick Roughsey. (This book also happens to be on our 30 Essential Picture Books list.)
Dreamtime stories tell how the Rainbow Serpent came from beneath the ground and created huge ridges, mountains and gorges as it pushed upward. The name also reflects the snake-like meandering of water across a landscape and the colour spectrum sometimes caused by sunlight hitting the water.
I love putting this Indigenous origin story in the hands of parents looking for authentically Australian stories. After 35 years since initial publication, this is a story that has stood the test of time and still enthralls children and adults today.
