Top five children's books by Indigenous authors
Recently the Library hosted author and illustrator Jordan Gould and Richard Pritchard for a storytelling session about their bestselling children’s book Wylah: the Koorie warrior. Afterwards, we asked them what Indigenous children’s books would be at the top of their reading list. See the collated list below.
Ceremony: welcome to our Country, by Adam Goodes and Ellie Laing
From Australian of the Year (2014), Adam Goodes, co-writer Ellie Laing, and Barkindji illustrator David Hardy this book invites readers to celebrate the rich traditions of dance, family, community and caring for Country from the world’s oldest continuous culture.
Young dark emu: a truer history, by Bruce Pascoe
This book is a compelling first-person account for younger readers to learn more about how Australia functioned before Europeans arrived with the creation of cultivated farming areas, productive fisheries, and a clear understanding of the environment and its natural resources.
Our home, our heartbeat, by Briggs
Adapted from Briggs’ celebrated song The children came back, this picture book is a lively celebration of more than 20 past and present Indigenous legends and emerging generations, with the very last page of the book stimulating further investigation and inspiration.
The first scientists, deadly inventions and innovations from Australia’s First Peoples, by Corey Tutt
The book tells the stories of mind-blowing innovations by First Nations people, from the first scientists to the modern-day researchers. This book invites young learners to ask questions and be curious about the world; to become starry-eyed astronomers, down-to-earth agriculturalists, or chemists who like to mix things up!
Wylah: the Koorie warrior, by Jordan Gould and Richard Pritchard
Inspired by First Nations’ history and culture, this book is a visual feast with an unforgettable cast of characters, including dragons, megafauna and a young heroine that promises to ignite your child’s imagination.
More to explore
Header image credit: illustration by Richard Pritchard from the book Wylah: the Koorie warrior.