Marshia Cook, with Tamua Nuggett (extra illustrations), The Moon Story, Indigenous Literacy Foundation, December 2024, 24 pp., RRP $24.99 (hbk), ISBN 9781922592552
This lovely bed time picture book has its text in Kriol as well as English. It was created at Fitzroy Crossing during workshops conducted by the Indigenous Literacy Foundation lifetime ambassador, Allison Lester.
It tells a simple story of an Aboriginal family going out bush to camp under the full moon one night. The images are mostly a brightly coloured wash on the black background of the night sky with some exquisite white line drawings. The pearly moon when it appears is large and gorgeous. It shines over an old white-trunked gum as the children slip into their sleeping swags.
Kriol is its own legitimate language with its own structure and grammatical rules, though it can be hauntingly similar to English, and great fun to decipher alongside the English text.
The book is both a simple and attractive bed time story and an introduction to some aspects of Aboriginal life on Country. Any child in the pre-school years will have fun with this book, plus many readers beyond that.
Reviewed by Kevin Brophy
