Bush and beyond: Stories from Country by Tjalaminu Mia, Jessica Lister, Jaylon Tucker and Cheryl Kickett-Tucker
Fremantle Press, 2018. ISBN 9781925591132
Recommended. This collection of four stories is from the Waarda
series of Indigenous Stories and focuses on the importance of
spending time with Grandparents. The collection is perfect for
primary schools looking for books that support the teaching of
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and culture.
The first and second story in this collection 'Bush Secrets' and
'Yippee! Summer Holidays' feature a brother and sister duo Debbie
and Billy. The children are looking forward to Dada Keen (their
Grandfather) coming to stay from the city. Their life is simple and
fun - they live in a small bush community. Debbie describes the
stories her Dada Keen and their walks together. What I loved most
about this is the way in which the authors teachers the reader about
the Noongar Tribes of Western Australia, even incorporating their
language. Dada Keen teaches Debbie and Billy about their heritage in
a simplistic but charming style. My only criticism is Debbie's
constant references to having and keeping secrets, which contrasted
with what I am currently teaching my class in their Child Protection
Curriculum lessons.
The third and fourth stories used even more of the Noongar language
and taught the reader some of the features of the Swan River,
Wheatbelt, Moora and north-east WA goldfields. All regions from the
Katanning area in WA originally inhabited by the Noongar people.
Both heavily narrative, one was about a little boy camping with his
family and the other was about Thuri (grandfather) taking his
grandsons on a bushwalk. The simple narration of what the flora and
fauna they come across, and the features of the land, was very easy
to read.
The collaborative authors belong to Indigenous groups from Western
Australia and have written teaching
notes to accompany this as well as all three books in
the series. There are two more collections Cyclones and Shadows
and Eagle, Crow and Emu which would greatly add to the AITSI
resources in any Australian school library. Another pleasant aspect
of these stories was that they are not Dreaming Stories but
narratives, and would be great as read-aloud chapter books that
celebrate culture and heritage of AITSI students during events such
as National Reconciliation Week.
Clare Thompson