Dirt by Sea

Michael Wagner (text) and Tom Jellett (illustrations), Dirt by Sea, Penguin Random House Australia, September 2022, 40 pp., RRP $24.99 (hbk), ISBN 9781760894061

As the tag line of this great Australian picture book reads, hit the road on an unforgettable Aussie adventure! Dirt by Sea follows the around-Australia adventures of Daisy and her father as they set out to visit as many Australian beaches as they can.

The story begins with Daisy mishearing the words of the Australian national anthem. Our land is girt by sea doesn’t make a whole lot of sense when you live on a property in the middle of the outback, (Eromanga, Queensland). Daisy’s father realises that Daisy has never seen the sea and sets out to rectify the situation by taking Daisy on a road trip, the same road trip he took with Daisy’s mother before Daisy was born.

The reader follows Daisy and her dad as they visit Airlie Beach, the Great Barrier Reef, Byron Bay, Bondi Beach, Wonboyn, and the list goes on and on. Their trip appears to take several months and includes stops at all of Australia’s iconic beaches. There is an abundance of uniquely Australian references throughout the book.

Parts of the narrative show Daisy face several challenges for example, jumping off a pier, quad biking with her father and trying an oyster. As the story nears completion the reader discovers that Daisy’s mother is not simply absent rather, she has passed away. When Daisy’s father observes that he misses Daisy’s mother Daisy reflects that her mother is always with her. She sees her in the sunset and the beauty of each location they have visited and feels her giving Daisy the courage to try new things. This subplot provides a very gentle introduction to the death of a parent and a possible way for children to make sense of the parent’s absence.

As a reader I was at first a little overwhelmed by the graphic novel style chosen by illustrator, Tom Jellett. However, I quickly got used to the presentation of illustrations and information and appreciated that it allowed for the inclusion of many images including diverse representations of ability, race and gender. Through the clever combination of text and illustrations Dirt by Sea has managed to cram a lot into its 40 pages. This book is sure to be a hit in primary school classrooms around Australia.

Reviewed by Anne Varnes

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