Book Review (fwd)

[phil cash cash]

   Book Review
Thursday, 9 February 2006

  The National Indigenous Times, Australia

  http://www.nit.com.au/thearts/story.aspx?id=6473

Blank Ink Press, have released their seventh and eighth books onto the growing
Aboriginal market - River Girl and Turtle Egg Day.
Turtle Day is a charming story about a young girl, Wowan who spends the day
with her Gran learning how to catch bush tucker.
The story is written by Ruth Thompson, who grew up in what’s now known as the
Atherton Tablelands.
Ruth passed away before the book was published, but her family wanted to share
the story.
It’s a great book - the language is real and so are the lessons.
Gran talks ‘old blackfella way’ while young Wowan talks ‘young blackfella
way.
The book acknowledges the cultural differences between young and old Aboriginal
people, but at the same time promotes the passing on of traditional knowledge to
younger generations - in effect it’s a classic Aboriginal kids tale.
The illustrations include art from Bindi Waugh, the 2003 NAIDOC Artist of the
Year and there’s plenty of Aboriginal words sprinkled throughout (including
their meanings) along with an illustrated Mamu language index at the back that
explains the traditional words for all sorts of bush tucker and other animals,
such as fish, prawns, cassowary, dog and turtle.
Turtle Egg Day is a delightful book and Waugh’s illustrations are beautiful.
It’s the perfect book for a mum and dad - and especially a gran or Nan - to
read to a little one.
Recommended for kids aged 4 to 8, Turtle Egg Day retails for $15 and is worth
every cent. It’s available in good bookshops, or from NIT’s Online Bookstore
at www.nit.com.au/shop
River Girl is the autobiography of Glenda Andrew, who grew up around the mighty
Murray River.
Glenda is the granddaughter  of the nation’s most famous Aboriginal pastor,
Sir Doug Nicholls.
She tells the tale of growing up with a famous grandpa on one side, and the
traditional Nan Karpany on the other.
The book is packed with illustrations and photos and will definitely strike a
chord with anyone who’s ever spent anytime around the Murray.
The book traces Glenda’s recollections of everything from the growing struggle
for Indigenous rights - and her family’s role in it - to a modern Aboriginal
upbringing in a changing nation.
The book is created in a very unusual style - pictures and line drawings are on
virtually every page and it breaks the story up very nicely.
Easy to read and a fascinating insight into one of the nation’s most prominent
Aboriginal families living in a magical part of Australia.
River Girl by Glenda Andrew retails for $18 and is available in good
bookstores, or in NIT’s Online Bookstore at www.nit.com.au/shop
About the publishers
Black Ink Press is a community-based Indigenous writing, illustrating and
publishing project based in Townsville in North Queensland.
It trains and mentors emerging writers and artists in order to create
contemporary illustrated books especially for young Indigenous readers.
It supports Australian Indigenous languages.
Black Ink Press is part of CCDEU (Congress Community Development and Education
Unit Ltd).
You can find out more about Black Ink Press by visiting their website,
www.blackinkpress.com.au or phoning 07 4773 5077. www.nit.com.au
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://listserv.linguistlist.org/pipermail/ilat/attachments/20060213/26728cb2/attachment.htm>