Australian Federation: One people, one destiny by Janette Brennan

Our stories series. Black Dog Books, 2014. ISBN 9781922179944.
(Age: 9+) Recommended. Australian history, Federation.
The imprint of Black Dog Books gives any reader the expectation of a well researched non fiction book, well told in crisp short paragraphs with plentiful photos, maps and illustrations to augment the text. Their series, Our Stories, has hit library shelves with glee, filling a niche for children to read of Australia's history without the padding given by many history books.
Australian Federation continues their acclaimed style, with thirteen chapters of between two and four pages presenting such information such as what we were like before Federation, the people who led the push for Federation, the struggles the colonies had before they made this agreement, and finally what Federation means for Australia. Each chapter is brief and to the point, with easy to read but meaty paragraphs of information alongside maps, illustrations, pictures, newspaper cuttings and statistics.
The illustrations included are the known and not so known, from Roberts' famous painting of the first parliament, to many cartoons taken from local papers, to photos of the many people involved, and make fascinating reading and further looking.
As is only to be expected with Black Dog Books' series, there is a packed timeline, an easy to use index and glossary and a page of references, including internet sites, all designed to increase the information available to young readers. A great resource for history classes.
Fran Knight