Warna-Manda baby: Earth walk by Susan Betts and Mandy Foot

An Earth Walk in which Allurra becomes connected to her home and instilled with knowledge of the environment and that of country will enhance young children’s appreciation of the multi layered aspects of the land around them. Not only a place to explore or walk over, but a place to see with different eyes, to come to see it as a place we need to protect, a place with history and presence. Just as Mother Earth fulfils all our needs, so too she needs looking after, and from the land and sea and sky above, she is watching over us all. Allurra walks on, following footprints which guide her, watches the birds in the sky, the animals on the ground, seeing the shiny star up above her head, reminding her that all is family, all is there to guide and protect. And she is part of it all.

The soft, brightly coloured  illustrations use a range of Aboriginal motifs, stars, footprints, bird prints, circles and dots to engage the reader. The journey Allurra takes is well shown as she walks over land  and near the sea, a continuous flow along the bottom of most pages. Children will enjoy looking out for known objects. And will enjoy practising the words given a the end of the book.

Published by Little Book Press, as part of the Raising Literacy Australia organisation which aims to enrich children’s lives through literacy, this book is one of several reviewed in Readplus. Check them out: Shoo you crocodile!, Look Baby!  and My first baby Australian animals. Raising Literacy Australia can be found here. 

Their books are published by Little Book Press which has an extensive catalogue to be downloaded, with facts about the books, how to use them as well as information about the authors and illustrators.

Themes: Aboriginal themes, Aboriginal language, Journey, Environment.

Fran Knight