Where wild animals and people meet, tragedy can strike, because just like the big bad wolf, the dingo is not afraid of you and me.
A beautifully illustrated non-fiction picture book that sensitively explores the collision of wilderness and civilisation, explains a famous miscarriage of justice, and examines the role of the media in history-telling, in an appropriate manner for children.
Resources
Creators
One of the very first to identify the contemporary rise of Melbourne’s cultural and place power, Maree Coote has won The Royal Historical Society of Victoria’s Gold Prize for ‘The Art of Being Melbourne’. Her unique command of history, culture, art and design is made accessible for a wide variety of audiences, including children. Coote was the first to create a children’s picture book for Melbourne kids, ‘When You Go To Melbourne’. According to Philip Adams, “Melbourne never had a more ingenious ambassador.”
Coote’s first book The Melbourne Book: A History of Now is in its fourth edition after 12+ years in print, and has been dubbed ‘Melbourne’s Bible’.
Reviews
Highly recommended. There is much symbolism to discuss in these illustrations and I believe rich conversations could be had around this by parents and teachers with children.
ReadPlus
This was such a moving non-fiction picture book – this will definitely have pride of place on my classroom bookshelf! Rating: 5 stars
I Dream of All the Books
Even if you think you know the story of Azaria Chamberlain and even if you can’t quite dislodge that first assumption, this is a achingly beautiful, thoughtfully rendered, significant work of art that is an excellent cross-curricular resource addressing an infinite number of nuances for discussion with children from as young as five. Highly recommended.
Dims Write Stuff
What a stunning book, both visually and intellectually, aimed at readers of all ages… Highly recommended for all libraries and home collections.
CBCA: Reading Time
This is a story for all ages and one that should not be forgotten. Highly recommended.
Kids Book Review
