The Rainbow Serpent (50th anniversary edition)

It’s the 50th anniversary of The Rainbow Serpent! Well, more accurately, it’s probably a little more than the 65,000th anniversary of the Rainbow Serpent. But for many of us, we were only introduced to and have had the privilege of experiencing the story of the Rainbow Serpent as it was written and illustrated 50 years ago by Dick Roughsey, a Lardil artist and storyteller, among many other things.

In The Rainbow Serpent he shares the knowledge of how Goorialla, the Rainbow Serpent, created the mountains and hills and all the living things. First by travelling across the country making mountains and rivers with his huge body, then by thrashing about wildly when he realises he’s been cut open by two brothers who were rescuing some boys he ate.

The story remains as compelling as it was when I first read it as a child, and the superb art is undeniably among the most recognised and loved representations of Australia’s landscape and First Peoples you’ll find. I’m absolutely delighted this story is still available to us and I encourage everyone to revisit it and introduce it to the little ones in their life. For ages 3+.