by Boomert - Nana's Land by Delphine Sarago- Kendrick 16 Jan 2010

In 2001 Delphine Sarago-Kendrick won an illustrator’s award from Black Inc Press. Her talent for depicting the transcendent qualities of landscapes is apparent in this title, her first picture book. However, her most successful, dreamlike images are more than matched by the clarity and quality of the text. In a book underlining the value of a storyteller’s skill, Sarago-Kendrick is herself revealed as a gifted storyteller. The narrative follows a group of children making their way to the land of their grandmother’s people. Their trip is made easier by the knowledge and wisdom communicated via the stories their grandmother has told them. The rites of passage practiced in traditional societies are often misunderstood by outsiders who may see them as stand-alone trials rather than integral stages in a young person’s education. This story helps dispel such misconceptions, conveying the children’s faith and confidence and their level of preparedness for the journey they must undertake. Confirming the importance of traditional teaching, and the value of listening and belonging to a wider family group, this book offers a timely message for both Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.

This review from Australian Bookseller & Publisher magazine is reproduced by kind permission of Thorpe-Bowker, a division of R R Bowker LLC. © Copyright 2008, Thorpe-Bowker