the Jacket

Sue-Ellen Pashley & Thea Baker
Black Dog Books

Here is the loving story of a treasured item - a jacket, that is
soft like a dandelion fluff
warm like the afternoon sun
comforting like a hug
and that has four dazzling buttons.

Like any treasured piece of clothing this jacket is worn everywhere but eventually this treasured jacket no longer fits the wearer. So it is passed to the next in line ... and is treasured once more. But eventually this too becomes too small for the wearer. Slightly worn, but still loved, this treasured time gets a new lease of life thanks to some very clever measuring and cutting and sewing.

The collage and paint creations used in this book creates a pleasing 'feel' to this is a warm loving story about life and treasures and change, about holding on, and letting go. Great for family sharing.

Kindness Makes Us Strong

Sophie Beer
Little Hare

How many ways can you show KINDNESS. In this colourful board book for young children, the numerous children in the pages of this book give just a few emaixples ...

• a friendly hello.
• sharing the path
• taking the turns
• and more.

And of course all the activities and displays of kindness, whether they are big or small, are very relevant for the children (and maybe a few adults too) that this book is created for. Bright colours, simple text and strong board pages all contribute to a book that should be shared and read by all families everywhere.

Young Dark Emu - a truer history

Bruce Pascoe
Magabala Books

I love this book .....
It is the long waited and much needed children's version of Bruce Pascoe's award winning and hugely popular title Dark Emu.

The beautifully presented book includes many extracts from original nineteenth century colonial diaries - many of which show that prior to colonisation the Aboriginal people had been working together actors the country to farm and care for the land. As Bruce says in his introduction "... I give examples of firsthand accounts, including diaries and illustrations, from early settlers and explorers. These eyewitness accounts showing how Aboriginal people lived at the time of colonisation provides a view that does not fit with the traditional idea of the Aboriginal nomadic hunter-gatherer.  Readers will see Australia as it was before colonisation. It will inspire investigation into the land, the animals and plants, and how the Aboriginal people were intertwined with the land. just a few snippets from the book:

• Just as most Australian towns have cemeteries and sacred places today, so did Aboriginal villages.
• European settlers saw fire as a threat. Aboriginal people viewed it differently.
• Indigenous plants... do not require any more water than the climate supplies, no more fertiliser and no pesticides. 

With bibliography, picture credits and thorough index, this is a wonderful book to use for discussion - especially in this moment of constitutional reflection and inclusion.

and see this clip of Bruce talking about Young Dark Emu.