Ryhia Dank, Learning Country: A First Nations Journey Around Australia’s Traditional Place Names, HarperCollins AU, June 2025, 32 pp., RRP $24.99 (hbk), ISBN 9781460765517
This picture book is a quick tour around the major regional and State/Territory cities and towns of Australia, giving each of them their traditional name and depicting a totem creature for each location.
Perth, for example, is Boorloo, and its creature is the black swan; Broome is Rubibi, with the frill-necked lizard as its chosen creature. Author Rhyia Dank is a Gudanji/Wakaja artist who grew up in a remote Gulf of Carpentaria community (Borroloola). Her illustrations for this book are vibrantly coloured designs presenting the place name in colourful letters, and referring briefly to the artist’s experience of visiting this location.
The illustrations take inspiration from indigenous traditions, while giving them a contemporary felt-pen look. They are the kind of illustrations that might encourage children to find out the traditional name for their own locality and try for themselves to make just such an illustration. There is a useful map on the first page indicating where each place is, but leaving it to readers to discover what these places’ European names might be. Perhaps a book for the future?
Highly recommended for children from one to twelve, and all Primary School libraries.
Reviewed by Kevin Brophy
