Celebrating classic Australian picture books
The Australian letter is a weekly newsletter from our Australian bureau. To register to receive it by email. This week’s issue is written by Natasha Frost, a Melbourne-based reporter.
Last weekend I hosted a baby shower for a friend whose son was due sometime in April. She and her husband are South African migrants, and I’ve been joking for months that they love Australians so much that they made one to come live with them.
The baby, who will be an Australian citizen from birth, will begin his cultural education early: among the gifts, including a platypus patterned romper and electric nail clippers, were three children’s books that are classics of Australian childhood. (He’ll have to find his own way to ‘Bluey’.)
Certainly, Australian children read many of the same picture books cherished elsewhere in the world, such as ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar’ by Eric Carle or ‘Guess How Much I Love You’ by Sam McBratney.
But there are many homegrown titles, often with an Australian theme and setting, that are still adored by generations of Australian children – including many who are the first Australians in their families.
Some of these books are about the country’s distinctive wildlife: In ‘Possum Magic’ by Mem Fox and Julie Vivas, a young possum named Hush is suddenly struck by bush magic – and made invisible. “Koala Lou,” also from Ms. Fox, tells the story of a young koala struggling with the arrival of a new brother or sister. And in ‘Edward the Emu’ by Sheena Knowles, an emu tired of the zoo tries to live a life as a seal, lion and snake.
Wombats also appear in a plethora of titles, including Marcia K. Vaughan’s “Wombat Stew,” in which no wombats are hurt, and Jackie French’s “Diary of a Wombat.” (It is, as you might expect, a day-by-day story about life as a wombat.)
Others tell Aboriginal stories, sometimes with illustrations inspired by indigenous Australian art. ‘The Rainbow Serpent’, by Dick Roughsey and Percy Trezise, tells a dream story about a powerful serpent that emerges from the ground and creates ridges, mountains and gorges throughout Australia.
“The Bunyip of Berkeley’s Creek,” a 1973 work by Jenny Wagner and Ron Brooks, is many young Australians’ introduction to the swamp-dwelling creature from Aboriginal folklore. (The bunyip is immortalized as a statue outside the State Library in Melbourne.)
And many popular works are just snapshots of an idyllic Australian childhood. A friend recalled watching Alison Lester’s “Magic Beach” for hours, repeatedly pointing out two little girls on the seashore who she thought looked especially like her and her sister.
You don’t have to be Australian, or even live in Australia, to love these books. Better yet, if you’re abroad and want to try them out before shipping them anywhere else in the world, YouTube has a series of dramatic measurements you can try before you buy. This view from ‘Where is the green sheep?’ by Mem Fox has very nice sound effects.
I’d love to hear more examples of Australian children’s books that you love or that make particularly good gifts. Contact us at NYTAustralia@nytimes.com.
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