the importance of understanding where we with her dingos, looking for grubs and berries. come from and how to relate to the land and She walked for a long time dragging a digging Top 10 Aboriginal children’s water surrounding us all. Woiwurrung words, stick behind her, which made a track along the such as ‘wominjeka’, are introduced through the ground. The sound of the stick woke the snake, VWRU\DQGZHDUHRʏHUHGDQLQVLJKWLQWRKRZ and he became very angry and thrashed to and books for Victoria Aboriginal communities relate to one another fro, causing the track to get bigger. Soon after, through acknowledging territorial boundaries, it rained and this was how the Murray River was seeking permission to enter other lands and made. This is an engaging and interesting way performing Welcomes to Country. A video of for educators and teachers to introduce the Here are our top 10 children’s books written by Aunty Joy reading her book can be viewed at: topic of belief systems. Victorian Aboriginal people who feel a sense of http://bit.ly/WelcomeToCountryBook 8. Respect 5. Took the belonging to their nations, clans, land and culture. $XQW\)D\H0XLU6XH/DZVRQ Children Away /LVD.HQQHG\ LOOXVWUDWRU Archie Roach / Ruby Hunter Aunty Fay is a Boon Wurrung (illustrator) with paintings by and Wamba Wamba Elder MATILDA DARVALL, Senior Policy Officer & Peter Hudson MERLE HALL, Koorie Inclusion Consultant, ZKRZURWHWKLVERRNZLWK6XH/DZVRQDQ Victorian Aboriginal Education Association Took the Children Away is a story written award-winning children’s author. This book Incorporated (VAEAI) by well-known singer Archie Roach, and teaches us how to respect our Elders, our illustrated by his late partner Ruby Hunter. It family, our friends, the Country on which we tells the heartbreaking story of Uncle Archie’s live, and most importantly – ourselves. experience of being forcibly taken from his 1. Our Home, both traditional and contemporary – that help family when he was two years old. Many 9. Family people will have heard Uncle Archie’s award- Our Heartbeat make this book warmly familiar to Aboriginal Aunty Faye Muir / Sue winning song of the same name, on which children. It’s a positive, insightful and engaging /DZVRQ-DVPLQH6H\PRXU Adam Briggs / Kate Moon this book is based. This book can be used to book for teachers, families and young children, (illustrator) (illustrator) / Rachael Sarra and delivers an important message about introduce the topic of the Stolen Generations (illustrator) appreciating diversity. A PDF version of the to children. A video of Uncle Archie talking Family is a follow up to Briggs is a well-known and well-accomplished book can be accessed for free: about and reading his book can be viewed at: Respect, and both books are part of a four-book Yorta Yorta rapper from Shepparton in http://bit.ly/DjambiBook http://bit.ly/TheyTookTheChildrenAway series called ‘Our Place’. This book teaches Victoria. Our Home, Our Heartbeat LVKLVʐUVW XVDERXWWKHGLʏHUHQWUROHVSHRSOHLQRXU children’s book, and is adapted from his song 3. Adventures of the Little 6. Auslan and Yorta families play in forming who we are now and ‘The Children Came Back’. In a celebration Black Trackas Yorta Language who we become in the future, through an of Indigenous culture, this book features Aboriginal perspective. It also introduces the Merle Hall / Gary Saunders Merle Miller Aboriginal people who have achieved and idea of diversity amongst people, families and (illustrator) VXFFHHGHGLQDYDULHW\RIʐHOGV,WşVDIDQWDVWLF This is a unique book that teaches readers communities, using the concepts of language resource to use in an early learning setting The Adventures of the Little about both Auslan and Yorta Yorta language. and Country. because educators and teachers can engage Black Trackas is a cultural Each page displays a photograph of a young, children through the music as well as the education kit for children in the early years, deaf Aboriginal girl who demonstrates how 10. Wilam, inspirational story. The National Gallery of aged 0–8 years. Words used in the book are to sign Auslan for phrases such as, ‘Hello how A Birrarung Story DUH\RX"ş,WWKHQGHVFULEHVWKHBunjil, Damian Amamoo Amamoo Lai Vivas Taduran a folder that also contains activity ideas for use we all communicate. the wedge-tailed eagle and creator spirit, is This storybook is set in the bush in Barmah by early childhood educators. a key character, along with other animals. It’s on the Murray River and is based on a family 7. How the Murray Was a wonderful storybook to use with children of kookaburras. Djarmbi, the main character, 4. Welcome to Country Made: A Bangerang Story in an early childhood setting because it’s a ʐQGVLWGLʒFXOWWRH[SUHVVKLVIHHOLQJVDQG culturally-inclusive way to think about an Irene Thomas / Robert Brown HPRWLRQVDQGKLVVTXDZNVRXQGVGLʏHUHQWWR $XQW\-R\0XUSK\/LVD important landmark in Melbourne. (illustrator) the other birds. This book has been written Kennedy (illustrator) to address the topic of autism in a way that Welcome to Country, written This is a book that explains the is culturally relevant and sensitive, and there by Wurundjeri Elder Aunty Joy Murphy, is a creation story of how the Murray River was DUHQXPHURXVFXOWXUDOO\VSHFLʐFUHIHUHQFHVŜ storybook that gently teaches children about made. It tells of how an old woman was walking

2 Embrace | Edition 09 Victorian Inclusion Agency 3