PERHAPS A GIFT VOUCHER FOR MUM?: MOTHER'S DAY
ABBEY'S BOOKSELLER PICK ----- A welcome addition to the growing list of children's books on Indigenous practices, this shares the knowledge of Aboriginal burning. Uncle Kuu takes two youngsters out on to Country and explains how fire has been used for thousands of years to look after the land. He teaches them how to light the fires in the right place, in the right season, and how slow burns are beneficial for plants and animals. He also tells them what happens when fire is not used properly, how it is a force for destruction, not renewal. A range of colours from bright healthy greens to burnt charcoal greys and expressive illustrations complement the dancing fonts used in the text. And yes, there is a friendly reminder that you should never ever light fires yourself! Lindy
Looking After Country with Fire is a picture book for 5- to 10-year-olds that demonstrates respect for Indigenous knowledge, following the success of Victor Steffensen's bestselling adult book Fire Country.
Victor Steffensen is an Indigenous writer, filmmaker, musician and consultant. He is a descendant of the Tagalaka people through his mother's connections from the Gulf Country of north Queensland. Much of Victor's work over the past 27 years has been based on the arts and reviving traditional knowledge values - particularly traditional burning - through mentoring and leadership, as well as on-ground training with Aboriginal communities and many non-Indigenous Australians. He is a co-founder of Firesticks, an Indigenous-led organisation that aims to re-invigorate the use of cultural burning. Victor's first book, Fire Country, was published in 2020 in the wake of Australia's worst bushfires and has sold over 13,000 copies since its release. Sandra Steffensen grew up in the small, tropical rainforest village of Kuranda. After then moving to Sydney and living there for 15 years, Sandra moved back to Far North Queensland 13 years ago, lured by her childhood memories and connections to the local landscape. Sandra's maternal grandmother is from the Tagalaka people from the Gulf Country of north Queensland. She teaches Visual Arts specialising in the practice of ceramics. Sandra uses the sgraffito technique to adorn her functional pieces with intricate illustrations of the local landscapes and the wildlife inhabiting them to remind us of the beauty and the role they play in this world.
ABBEY'S BOOKSELLER PICK ----- A welcome addition to the growing list of children's books on Indigenous practices, this shares the knowledge of Aboriginal burning. Uncle Kuu takes two youngsters out on to Country and explains how fire has been used for thousands of years to look after the land. He teaches them how to light the fires in the right place, in the right season, and how slow burns are beneficial for plants and animals. He also tells them what happens when fire is not used properly, how it is a force for destruction, not renewal. A range of colours from bright healthy greens to burnt charcoal greys and expressive illustrations complement the dancing fonts used in the text. And yes, there is a friendly reminder that you should never ever light fires yourself! Lindy
