Ninni Yabini by Cheryl Kickett-Tucker and Tyrown Waigana
When Mother and Father swan rebuild their nest, they are so engrossed in their task that they do not see the baby swan is missing. A storm has washed their home away and they must build a new nest. Their beloved offspring, named Ninni Yabini after the evening star, wanders away, following a willy-wagtail, and finds herself alone and scared.
The beginning of the story evokes its setting, a place near the river, amongst reeds which they use to build their nest along with river grasses and sticks. While the story develops we learn of the tasks each of the swans does in daily life and the things they collect to make their nest.
When Yabini wanders off, her dad, Maali calls in vain. Yabini spies the evening star, her namesake and feels comforted, following its lead. As she stumbles over logs and runs through puddles, the little star gets brighter and brighter as she nears home.
A happy reunion follows although not without dad telling his cygnet not to follow the willy-wagtail ever again. But all is peaceful as the little family snuggles together to sleep that night, happy and content.
The story models a strong family relationship with the parents kissing and cuddling their child, strengthening the bonds that tie them together.
The illustrations support this theme admirably, from the spectacular front cover showing the baby being held in the parents’ wings to the back cover with the lost very unhappy cygnet being led by the evening star. The strikingly modern illustrations are different from what is usually expected complementing an Indigenous story and will encourage readers to look more closely at the art wok of a range of books.
Written in Noongar and English, and illustrated with wonderful striking artwork, this book celebrates family and home, while at the end is a list of the six Noongar seasons. The use of Noongar language throughout the book encourages children to try out the language for themselves, and an easy place to start is to learn the names of the six seasons.
Author, Cheryl Kickett-Tucker belongs to three areas of the Noongar people – Wadjuk (Swan River), Balladong (Wheatbelt) and Yued (Moora) and her stories reflect the inspiration of her family’s experiences in the bush. For more information about Cheryl and her books see here.
The illustrator, Tyrown Waigana is a Wardandi Noongar (south-west cape country) and Ait Koedhal (Torres Strait Islander) multi-disciplinary artist and graphic designer. An interview with Tyrown can be found here. Teacher's notes are available.
Themes: Aboriginal themes, Aboriginal stories, Western Australia, Family, Belonging, Home.
Fran Knight
