Barunga School students and Justine Clarke, Shordi Krik Indigenous Literacy Foundation, May 2023, 24 pp., RRP $24.99 (hbk), ISBN 9781922592408
This book is written in Kriol and English and tells the story of the students visit to Shorty Creek (Shordi Krik). It is part of the Indigenous Literacy Foundation’s work with remote communities that ask for culturally-relevant books for young readers.
It is a joyful book with the children expressing their happiness at being at the creek. Shorty Creek is a place for playing, for running and jumping, for swimming and fishing. The rhythm of the written text is song-like and indeed, the book is written as a song. It is possible to hear the song by scanning the QR code on the back of the book.
The illustrations are delightful. They are full of colour and movement and reflect the excitement of the students writing about their adventure. The design of the book adds interest as there are double-page spreads that give a wide view of the creek, for example, and have Kriol on one side and English on the other, while other pages have both languages and small illustrations with the facing page containing a larger illustration of the words.
This book will make a lovely read-aloud, even if the song itself is not accessed. It will also stimulate discussion in classes about adventures the children have had themselves and foster cultural understanding as well as adding to the growing, and very welcome, books from and about First Nations people.
Reviewed by Margot Hillel
