Five Great Kids Books About First Nations Culture

Hot off the press! These five books are suitable for different ages and share three things in common:

1. They are bilingual! Yes, they are written in English and Aboriginal First Languages.
2. They are written and illustrated by children and adults from remote Communities and share stories that are relevant and meaningful to their lives and culture.
3. They are published by the Indigenous Literacy Foundation – a small Community-led charity supporting remote Communities to write, illustrate and publish stories in languages of their choice.

If you want to develop your understanding of First Nation peoples languages, most books feature a QR code so you can scan and listen to the stories in English and the language or languages they are written.

NT Mob Sharing Stories in Language by Aboriginal people across the Northern Territory

“So deadly to see these nine wonderful stories come in one book for everyone to share. I hope you love this book!” – Jessica Mauboy, ILF Ambassador.

NT Mob Sharing Stories in Language is a rich collection and a rare one.

This is a book that comprises nine stories in nine languages – both traditional stories and stories of contemporary life – to celebrate and share Aboriginal culture, language and knowledge in Community and with others.

Each of the nine stories has accompanying illustrations and an English translation.

Country Tells Us When by Tsheena Cooper, Mary Dann, Dalisa Pigram-Ross and Sheree Ford

Some cultures around the world have four seasons that they look out for on a calendar: Summer, Autumn, Winter and Spring. The Yawuru people, the traditional owners of the land of Rubibi (the town of Broome), have six seasons.

Discover how the Yawuru people read the seasons in this beautifully illustrated book, with an emphasis on caring for Country.

This is a bilingual book in English and Yawuru, meaning readers have the opportunity to learn key words in Yawuru.

Shordi Krik by Students from Barunga School with Justine Clarke

“It has been an absolute pleasure to support these kids over the last seven years to help develop their story into a song and now into a beautiful published book.” – Justine Clarke, ILF Lifetime Ambassador.

At Shordi Krik, life is sweet. Written and illustrated in workshops run by ILF Lifetime Ambassador Justine Clarke and the Indigenous Literacy Foundation, this book is bilingual in Kriol and English, and takes readers on a journey to a local creek where the students play and swim.

Barunga is a small Aboriginal community, located approximately 80 kilometres southeast of Katherine in the Northern Territory.

Included on the back cover of the book is a QR Code to the song on digital streaming services, released through ABC Music.

Everyone will be singing along with this joyful song and learning more about life in Barunga as they go!

We Look We Find by Women and Children from Napranum Community

Written and illustrated by Women and Children from Napranum Community, young readers will love this book’s great rhyming scheme and fun story about what the Napranum Community find on their Country.

The story features Thaynakwith language words and the simple text and colourful illustrations make this book accessible for readers of all ages, regardless of what language they speak.

Stori bla Brutbrut en Bujigat (Story about Mouse and Cat) by Carol Robertson, Illustrated by Karen Rogers

Written and illustrated by Aboriginal women from Ngukkur, this story is light-hearted and the illustrations a delight – readers will laugh out loud at the antics of mouse (brutbrut) and cat (bujigat).

Written in Kriol, an Aboriginal language from northern Australia, with an English translation, the book includes a QR code so readers can listen to the story.

The Indigenous Literacy Foundation is a charity of the Australian book industry, with an ambition to provide remote First Nations remote Communities with the literacy resources they want to support their aspirations for Community and Culture. The charity receives no government funding and relies on the generosity of donors to deliver its three programs, Book Buzz, Book Supply and Community Publishing Projects.

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