February 2008

Over the years a huge number of books have been published about the Indigenous  peoples of Australia.  Many of these now seem very outdated in their attitudes.  This is a list of my personal recommendations; most are fairly recent and many of them are written by Indigenous Australians, giving us insights into their culture and thoughts not previously possible.  I shall continually update the list but contact me if you would like more suggestions in any particular areas.           

The books listed are for primary and secondary levels.  Please take the recommended age levels as a rough guide. Titles newly included in this list are marked •

Please Note   All prices are in Australian dollars and include the 10% GST tax.   However this GST does not apply to exports from Australia.

If you would like to order any of the books listed, send orders to Austral Ed by mail or fax or email.  Payment can be made preferably with bank cheques in Australian dollars, by direct bank transfer or by credit card.  Freight is sent by the most economical method, depending on urgency.

Recommended by Kate Shepherd

Picture Books

Jeanie Adams

Pigs and Honey pb $11.00     When an Aboriginal family decides to go camping in the bush for a day or two, they hunt wild pigs and other bush food.  That night they feast on roast pig, wild honey and damper.  This is the story of a lively Aboriginal community at Aukukun in far north Queensland.  (6 – 10 years)          

Albert Barunga, transcription by Stephen Muecke, illustrations by Julie Dowling
About this little Devil and this little Fella  pb $14.95     This deliciously scary story was one of many stories told by Albert Barunga and recorded and transcribed by Stephen Muecke.  The result is a wonderfully exuberant, rhythmic, traditional story which just has to be read aloud, with actions if possible.

Ted Egan
The Drovers's Boy illustrated by Robert Ingpen   hardback $29.00    Told in the form of a song, this is a tribute to the many Aboriginal women drovers who worked, often under duress, with cattle droving teams in the outback.  Beautifully illustrated, it is a sophisticated picture book for older children opening up a wealth of discussion about race relations, relations between men and women and exploitation.   (12 years up)

Gracie Greene
Tjarany/Roughtail (and Joe Tramacchi and Lucille Gill)   pb  $22.95   Another beautiful and innovative book from the publisher Magabala in Broome, West Australia.  Ostensibly it's a picture book, but it also combines traditional stories with stunning art in the traditional style with information on Aboriginal culture and language.   Winner of numerous awards, it is a book for all ages.   

Kerri Hashmi
You and Me, Murrawee  illustrated by Felicity Marshall  pb $14.95   A beautifully illustrated picture book which shows a young white girl camping on the banks of the River Murray with her family and through her eyes the life of a young Aboriginal girl Murrawee two hundred of years earlier, before the white settlers came.

Alison Lester
Ernie Dances to the Didgeridoo pb $16.00    A simple but vibrant introduction to Aboriginal life and the tropical seasons in the north of Australia.  The book shows the activities that Ernie and his six Aboriginal friends like to do best during the very different seasons of the year.   ( 5 - 10 years)

An Aboriginal Story series compiled by Pamela Lofts (was previously called Dreamtime series)   pb $15.00 each   A collection of picture books of very simply told traditional Aboriginal stories illustrated and told by Aboriginal people.  Very appealing for younger readers.     (5 - 9 years)
The Bat & the Crocodile                              

Dunbi the Owl
The Echidna & the Shade Tree                   
How the Birds got their Colours       

How the Kangaroos got their Tails        

The Kangaroo & the Porpoise
Warnayarra - The Rainbow Snake            

When the Snake bites the Sun

Pat Lowe
Jimmy and Pat Meet the Queen illustrated by Jimmy Pike  pb $12.95

A funny, satirical book which is a wonderful introduction to Land Rights and how it looks from an Aboriginal perspective.  Jimmy is amazed when he is told that Walmajarri land is Vacant Crown Land and therefore really belongs to the Queen. The Queen accepts Jimmy's and Pat's invitation to visit so that she can show her ownership by pointing out all the waterholes and she arrives with corgis in tow and dressed in jodhpurs for the hunt (though they hunt for pussy cat, not foxes).   Just the right amount of tongue in cheek irreverence.   (8 years up)

When I Was Little Like You  by Mary Malbunka    pb $16.95   These are Mary Malbunka's memories, both in word and in illustration, of her life as a child at Papunya in Central Australia in the 1960s.  The children went to school but it was when they went bush that they learnt about plants, animals, country and their Dreaming stories.  (7 - 13 years)

Leonie Norrington  

• You and Me: Our Place illus by Dee Huxley  hardback 24.95

Through stories told by Uncle Tobias, we get a sense of the “old days” when Aboriginal peoples hunted, fished and told stories in this northern part of Australia where the river and mangroves meet the sea.  However life is very different for the two young Aboriginal boys for they are at ease in the old and new cultures.        

May O'Brien
The Bawoo Stories illustrated by Sue Wyatt   pb $26.95

This new edition contains the four traditional Aboriginal stories, Barn-Barn Barlala, the Bush trickster, Kangaroos who wanted to be People,  How Crows became Black and Why the Emu Can’t Fly.   They were told so that some Aboriginal children would come to understand their land, their people and their beginnings.  (7 - 10 years)

Elaine Russell
A is for Aunty  pb $14.95    Elaine Russell's vibrant colourful illustrations show us the life she remembers as a child living on a mission in northern New South Wales.   With each letter in this alphabet book there is a short text which gives us vivid images of events such as racing Billycarts, of being chased by Emus or of picking Quandongs.      (7 - 12 years)

Daisy Utemorrah
Do Not Go Around the Edges  hardback $16.95     Poetry, illustration and prose are interwoven in this picture book.  Daisy Utemorrah gives us an insight into the story of her life, through simple prose, and her thoughts, through her poetry.  Daisy comes from the Kimberley area in the north of Western Australia.  This innovative book is suitable for all ages.   Also Moonglue  illustrated by Susan Wyatt   hardback $16.95   A cautionary traditional tale about what happened to children who disobeyed their parents.

Papunya School Book of Country & History  by Papunya School Publishing Committee    hardback  $29.95  pb $16.95  
This book shows the history of the Papunya region in the centre of Australia through the eyes of the staff and students.  It is wonderfully refreshing to read an account from the Aboriginal viewpoint in such an innovative collage format, vibrant with drawings, paintings, maps and painted photographs.      (9 years up)

Fiction

Gary Crew
Inner Circle  pb $17.00    The story of a friendship between an Aboriginal and a white boy is told in alternating chapters, and from differing viewpoints.   (13 years up)

Jackie French
Walking the Boundaries  pb $14.95   Using a time-slip device, the novel tries to give an understanding of modern times and of the extraordinarily long history of Aboriginal culture in Australia.  Characters, from three different periods of time, come to life making an absorbing story.    (8 - 15)

Phillip Gwynne
Deadly Unna?  pb $19.95    A perceptive and highly entertaining book describing the growing friendship between Blacky, a white teenager and Dumby Red, an Aboriginal young man from out of town and how it is affected by the narrowness and pervasive racism of a country town. Winner of the 1999 CBC Book of the Year Award.    (13 up) 
Nukkin Ya  pb $19.95   An absorbing sequel.  When Blacky falls for Dumby's cousin but it seems that the whole town has objections to their going out together.  (13 years up)

Anthony Hill
The Burnt Stick  illustrated by Mark Sofilas   pb  $14.95    This is the fictional story of a boy, John Jagamarra who was forcibly taken from his Aboriginal mother.  This happened to many Aboriginal children of lighter skin colour earlier this century.    (7 - 11 years)

Nola Kerr
Jaleesa the Emu  pb $11.95
One of the popular Aussie Bites series, this story is about a young Aboriginal girl who is a champion runner and discovers the mysterious "out-the-back" at her grandmother's house.    (6 - 9 years)

Two Hands Together  by Diana Kidd              pb $16.95

The growing friendship between Lily and Ella is marred by the disapproval of Lily’s father, much to Ella’s confusion.  How could it be that her father doesn’t like this warm and friendly Aboriginal family?  This is a well told sensitive story which is also a positive statement for reconciliation between two cultures.   (7 – 10 years)

Pat Lowe and Jimmy Pike
Desert Dog  pb 16.95    A wonderful story which gives a very detailed look at life in the Great Sandy Desert.  Spinifex is a dingo pup who is adopted by an Aboriginal family and becomes a prized hunter and the story is told from her perspective.   Pat Lowe has taken Jimmy Pike's memories of his own childhood in the Great Sandy Desert and woven them into an informative, leisurely and fascinating story.  Vibrant illustrations by Jimmy Pike add to the distinctiveness of this book.    (9 - 14 years)
Desert Cowboy pb $16.95 tells how Yinti, the Aboriginal boy in Desert Dog grows up and leaves his country to go and work on a cattle station.   

(9 - 14 years)

Meme McDonald and Boori Pryor
My Girragundji  pb $14.95    A vivid story about a young Aboriginal boy growing up between two worlds.  His fears of the bad spirits about the house at night and of the bullies at school are lessened when he finds a spirit friend in a little tree frog.   Inspired by the childhood memories of Boori Pryor.   (8 - 11 years)
The Binna Binna Man pb 14.95  A sequel to My Girragundji in which the narrator is now older.  This very moving story captures the cadences of Aboriginal speech and at the same time reveals some of the deep problems facing Aboriginal people today as they struggle to gain the strength from their traditions to withstand the pressures of drugs and to be strong in the face of losing so many of their young people.   (9 - 14 years) 
Njunjul the Sun pb $15.95  The young boy is now sixteen years old and he leaves his close-knit Aboriginal family up north to stay with his uncle Garth and his white girlfriend in the big city of Sydney.  He has been in some trouble with the police and this is a chance to sort himself out and to get rid of the feeling that he is no good.  The book has some very funny and exhilarating moments.    (13 up) 

James Moloney
Dougy   pb $18.95     The story examines racial tensions in a small Queensland country town.  It is an uncompromising but realistic story.  Gracey pb $18.95    The story is continued however the emphasis here is on Gracie, Dougy's sister, who is a talented athlete and moves to a school in the city.  Life is not easy for her as she strives to come to terms with her Aboriginality.     The last in the series is Angela  pb $18.95 who was Gracie's closest friend in school.    (11 - 17 years)

Leonie Norrington
The Barrumbi Kids  pb $18.00   Dale and Tomias are best mates.  One boy is Aboriginal and the other is white but they were both brought up in the same outback country in the Northern Territory.  This book has many adventures and it also explores the cultures of both boys and their love for their country.  (9 - 13 years) 
The Spirit of Barrumbi  pb $18.00 This is the sequel to the Barrumbi Kids and although it still has lots of fun and adventure, there is also a much more serious side as Norrington touches on the importance of the Law and of Country and of Aboriginal spiritual beliefs.  It is a very enjoyable story which succeeds in giving the reader an idea of some of the complexities of Aboriginal law and culture.             (9 - 14 years)

• Leaving Barrumbi pb $17.00   When Dale and Tomias leave Barrumbi and go to Leichhardt Secondary School Dale has problems while Tomias takes everything in his stride.    (10 – 14 years)
The Last Muster  pb $18.00   Ostensibly this is a story set in the remote Kimberley area of north western Australia about taming wild horses and a friendship between Red, an Aboriginal girl and Shane whose white father manages the cattle property.  However there is much more to the story as it also looks at how the land was taken from its original owners in a bloody conflict and the complexities of Land Rights.  Norrington also gives a sense of the rugged beauty of the country.  Most enjoyable.   (11 - 16 years)

Collections

Oodgeroo
Stradbroke Dreamtime illus by Bronwyn Bancroft   hardback  $29.95    This is a beautifully illustrated collection of stories combining stories from Oodgeroo's childhood on Stradbroke Island in Queensland with traditional dreamtime stories.   (9 years up)

Poetry

Jill McDougall
Anna the Goanna and other Poems  illus by Jenny Taylor  hardback  $26.95    A vibrant collection of poems which have been inspired by the author's experiences teaching in remote Aboriginal communities.  As well as lively poems that children will enjoy, the book and its often humorous illustrations offer an insight into the everyday life of children who live in remote Aboriginal communities.   (8 - 15 years) 

Pat Torres
Jalygurr   pb  $10.95    These very simple and rhythmic animal rhymes are written in English and Yawaru.  They have been adapted from Kimberley Aboriginal folk stories and children find them great fun.   (6 - 9 years)

Kevin Gilbert
Black from the Edge  photography by Eleanor Williams  pb  $26.95    Half of this collection has an Aboriginal focus and the other, written when Kevin Gilbert knew he did not have long to live, is more personal and very moving.  (12 years up)

Autobiography and Biography

Sally Dingo
Dingo    pb $24.95   Ernie Dingo is a very well known and popular Aboriginal actor and entertainer.  This enjoyable account of his family background and his childhood is written by his wife, Sally.   An intriguing story illustrated with some wonderful old black and white photos.  (12 up)

Sally Morgan
My Place  pb $24.95    This is a moving account of the author's quest to discover her Aboriginal background which was kept hidden for many years.  The book has been extremely popular since its publication in 1987.  (15 years up)
Also My Place for Younger Readers is available in a three part adaptation:  Sally's Story, Arthur Corunna's Story and Mother and Daughter    pb $13.95  each.   (9 - 12 years)

Doris Pilkington/Nugi Garimara
Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence  pb  $19.95   Set in 1931, this is the moving story of three Aboriginal girls who were taken from their mothers as part of government policy of the time.  They escaped from the Moore River Settlement and walked over 1,600 kilometres through desert country following the rabbit-proof fence to return to their families.   The story has just been made into a highly acclaimed new film, also called Rabbit-Proof Fence.   (12 years up)

Boori (Monty) Pryor with Meme McDonald
Maybe Tomorrow  pb $24.95    An absorbing story about Boori Pryor's life from the Aboriginal fringe camps of his birth, to the basketball court, to the DJ console and now to performance and storytelling at schools and other venues around Australia.  Told with humour and compassion.  Very moving.   (14 years up)

Herb Wharton
Yumba Days  pb $18.95    This story of Herb Wharton's life has been adapted for young people from his first book Unbranded.  It gives a marvellous insight into a warm and very close Aboriginal family who lived on the fringe of a small outback country town.   Herb is a natural storyteller and tells wonderful stories of his many years as a stockman.  At times very funny but also revealing of the relations between white and black in country Queensland in the 1930s.   (9 - 15 years)

Non-fiction

Alex Barlow and Marji Hill
Aboriginal People, Then and Now series  hardback $29.95 or pb $17.95  each
This series looks at the changes that have occurred over the 200 years since European settlement.  Both past and present day situations are examined to show the changes which have taken place.    (10 - 14 years)
You and Me Living Together   (looks at Land rights)
My Mob  (looks at changes to family life)
Bosses Ourselves  (looks at the issue of self-government)
Sharing Our Cultures  (sharing of places of cultural and spiritual significance)

Stan Breedon

Growing Up at Uluru  pb $14.95

Stunning photographs and very simple text bring to life the life of four young children who live at Uluru in the red desert country of Central Australia. (5 – 8 years)

Sharing Culture Uluru  pb $19.95

Covers similar material but in more detail.  There are descriptions and also photographs of the how food is gathered by the women and how the men track and hunt animals.  There are number of traditional stories and a number of children’s games are described.  Excellent photographs bring to life the country and the animals and plant life of  the desert and its people.

Warren Brim and Anna Eglitis

Creatures of the Rainforest: Two Artists explore Djabugay country   hardback $26.95   This unusual book describes a wide range of wildlife creatures living in the rainforest country of the Djabugay people in far north Queensland.  The creatures are listed alphabetically and their names are also given in the Djagubay language.  The main interest of the book is the contrast of illustration styles between the softer coloured hand-coloured lino prints of Anna Eglitis and the more striking traditional style acrylic paintings and also lino prints of Aboriginal artist Warren Brim.   (9 – 14 years)

Linda Bruce, John Hilvert and Alan Hilvert-Bruce
• * Indigenous Australians series    hardback $27.95 each title
Indigenous Entertainers                                        

Indigenous Sportspeople
This is a new series which profiles approximately 60 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.  As well biographical information on each person, there are also interviews, photos, a list of their major achievements and advice for young people.   (9 - 14 years)

Pat Lowe with Jimmy Pike
Jilji: Life in the Great Sandy Desert   pb  $32.95    
"You call it desert we used to live there."  In a marvellous collaboration, Pat Lowe's photographs interact with Jimmy Pike's striking paintings to make us see the desert landscape with new insight.  Pat Lowe describes with great simplicity what Jimmy Pike has told her about the way his family and community used to live in the Great Sandy Desert.   (10 years up)

John Nicholson

• Songlines and Stone Axes: Transport, Trade and Travel in Australia  hardback $29.95 John Nicholson describes the amazing network of trade and ceremonial exchange between Aboriginal peoples that existed long before European came to Australia.  Items of particular value that were carried sometimes over thousand of kilometres and exchanged were pearl shell from the Kimberley in WA, greenstone axeheads, belts made of human hair, outriggers for canoes, songs and dances, ochre, feathers and cloaks made of possum skin.  The illustrations are beautifully detailed and extremely informative.  (11 – 15 years) 

Howard Peterson and Banjo Woorunmurra
Jandamarra and the Bunubu Resistance pb $21.95

The remarkable story of the resistance of Jandamarra and the Bunubu people to the invasion of their lands by white settlers in the north west of Western Australia.  Written in conjunction with the Aboriginal custodian of the story.  Well illustrated with photos of the region.   This provides the background to the novel The Last Muster by Leonie Norrington , listed earlier.    (14 years up)

The story of this remarkable Aboriginal warrior has also been told more simply for children in the True Stories series.  Kimberley Warrior: The Story of Jandamarra. by John Nicholson  pb $12.95   (9 – 14 years)

Binmila Yunupingu and Milkayngu Mununggurr  

Yolngu Mali: Aboriginal Spirit  The traditional life of the people of North East Arnhem Land  pb $14.95   Photographs by Peter McConchie
Striking black and white photographs and an interesting text using Aboriginal expression give us an insight into the life today of the Yongu people.  It shows their children when they are young and as they grow older, how this community hunt, fish, gather fruit and other foods and it also shows some of their ceremonies.

Art

Christine Nicholls
Art, History, Place           pb $14.95
A simply written introduction to Aboriginal art today which explores the traditions and history which have shaped its development.  Some of the icons used in indigenous paintings are explained and the book is illustrated with many paintings and other forms of art by Aboriginal artists in Australia.  (10 years up)

 • Art - Land - Story  pb  $14.95 is written in a similar format.  It looks at how the traditions of the Dreaming stories and of the Land have influenced Aboriginal Art.  (10 years up)

Deidre Stokes REPP
Desert Dreamings   hardback  $29.70 
An excellent introduction for younger students to Aboriginal desert art.  Looks at the various types of art, the stories that are told, some of the artists, the influence of modern methods and how the artists work today.   (9 - 14 years)

Sylvia Kleinert and Margo Neale ed
The Oxford Companion to Aboriginal Art and Culture  hardback $130.00   A new comprehensive study at adult level of Aboriginal art and culture.

• Australian Indigenous Art Pack  Notes by Kate Hart     $63.95
A pack of 12 full colour A3 prints of artworks from three Indigenous artists, Jack Wunuwun, Michael Nelson Jagamara and Lin Onus.  On the reverse side of each image are a number of art activities for each work (a mixture of modern and more traditional works).  There is also background information on each artist and on each image.

Books marked * cannot be supplied by Austral Ed within Australia.

If you would like to order any of these books, please send orders to Austral Ed by fax, post or email.      All prices are in Australian dollars.

For additional lists of recommended books and newsletters from Austral Ed, visit our website       www.australed.iinet.net.au

© Kate Shepherd 2008.