There's a Prawn in Parliament House by Annabel Crabb. Illus. by First Dog on the Moon

Annabel Crabb, well-known political writer and commentator has cleverly created an all-in-one book for school aged readers to learn about democracy in Australia, its history, elections, and the day-to-day workings of the Federal Government and Parliament House. What can often be a ‘dry’ and challenging topic of learning for upper primary and lower secondary students, this handy go-to read narrated by Shawn the Prawn, a 350 million-year-old tiny coral fossil found in the floor of the grand Marble Foyer, will provide a humorous and enlightening look our system of democracy.

The Contents pages clearly set out each of the seven chapters with the following headings:

1.      Welcome to Parliament House
2.       How Did We Get Here?
3.      The Constitution
4.      Why do We Vote?
5.      Ministers and Departments
6.      The Press and Parliament House
7.      Making Laws

Each chapter has a wealth of accessible information and the use of bold font to empathise points, highlighted text, segment blocks, creative images by cartoonist First Dog on the Moon, maps, tables and the use of humour allow the reader to engage with the information.

The witty opening Introduction by Shawn the Prawn sets the tone for the book perfectly and will hopefully provide the hook for readers to engage with the wealth of information. In the final pages are a number of valuable sections including a final word from Shawn, Glossary, What to Spot in Parliament House, Timeline of Australian Prime Ministers, Sources, Further Reading, Acknowledgements, About the Creators and a very detailed index.

The more I delved deeper into this book, the more I realised as an adult my knowledge of all things democracy related is rather sparse! As well as students, this is also a valuable book for adults. The detailed teacher notes provided by A&U are an excellent resource to support students and their learning.

Themes: Parliament House, Democracy, Voting, Australian History, Facts, Humour, Civics & Citizenship, HASS.

Kathryn Beilby