AustLit

(Publication summary)

'Way back, before Once-upon-a-time time, there was the Dreamtime, and during this period lived a very confident emu called Dinewah. He was tall, fast and colourful. Most animals thought he was a show-off, but he was too busy talking about himself to take any notice…

'Dinewah was determined to run and fly the furthest and the fastest. He even tried to fly to the Sun, but he never made it.

'Today, he is still up there in Father Sky. If you look carefully on dark nights, when the Moon isn’t very bright, you can see the Awesome Emu. Many people know him as the Milky Way. We still know it as Djiraboo Dinewah – Awesome Emu.

'This is the fourth book in Gregg Dreise’s award-winning children’s picture book series that includes Silly Birds and Kookoo Kookaburra. Filled with his well-loved colourful paintings and told with heart and humour, Awesome Emu will be a family favourite.' (Publication summary)

'All that I'm wishing,
Is that you take a moment to listen...

'A slam poetry persuasive and powerful vision of unity from award-winning First Nations creator Gregg Dreise. Passionate, yet peaceful, Common Wealth is a compelling plea for a future of truth, togetherness and respect for our nation's deep history.' (Publication summary)

'Way back, before once-upon-a-time, there was the Dreamtime when all the birds were white. One of those white birds was a crow called Waan. One day a big storm came through and a magnificent rainbow appeared. When the birds passed through the rainbow, one by one, their feathers took on its beautiful colours. Waan flew through the rainbow too and his feathers became a beautiful red and orange. But Waan was jealous of the other birds. He wanted to be more beautifully coloured than anyone. So Waan hatched a cunning plan. But things did not go the way Waan wanted...'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Feel the rhythm of the music, from your heart down to your feet.
Enjoy the movements of melodies, as clapsticks keep a strong beat.

'This is my culture. This is me.

'Beautifully written and illustrated, My Culture and Me is a heartfelt and stirring story of cherishing and sustaining Indigenous cultures.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'I Open the Door... contains nine interconnected stories, all of which begin and end with opening a door. The young author/illustrators at the 2016 Spinifex Writing Camp were encouraged to let their imaginations run wild, and the result is a book that will simply take your breath away. Prepare to be intrigued, surprised, fearful and delighted as you turn the pages to follow the adventures of what happens when a door is opened. 

'The Indigenous Literacy Foundation's motto of 'Reading Opens Doors' became the inspiration for the stories that were written at the 2016 Spinifex Writing Camp held once again at Tjuntjuntjara, this year with mentors Ann James, Gregg Dreise and Judy Watson. ' (Publication summary)
 

'Mad Magpie is the third book in this successful series of morality tales from award-winning author and illustrator, Gregg Dreise. Inspired by wise sayings and the knowledge of his Elders, Mad Magpie tells the story of Guluu, an angry magpie who is being teased by a gang of butcher birds. The more he is teased, the angrier he becomes. When Guluu seeks advice, his Elders tell him to stay calm like the river, ignore the butcher birds and to be strong on the inside. Guluu tries this, but the cheeky birds just laugh at him. One day, when Guluu is at the river looking for worms, the butcher birds arrive and steal his food. He remembers the words of his Elders and he tries again – and this time Guluu has a different outcome. ' (Publication summary)

The author 'tells the story of Kookoo, a kind and well-loved kookaburra who is famous for entertaining the other bush creatures with his funny stories. Everyone knows Kookoo has a special gift because he can tell funny stories about the other animals without hurting their feelings. However, when Kookoo runs out of kind stories he turns to teasing and making fun of his friends’ differences. Refusing to listen to the sage advice of his uncle, Kookoo gradually alienates all his friends until he finds himself alone and ignored by the other animals. When he finally listens to the sounds of his own laughter echoing around the bush and realises it has become an unhappy sound, Kookoo is forced to remember his uncle’s words and change his ways — kindness is like a boomerang — if you throw it often, it comes back often.' (Source: Newsouth Books website)

'In this charming and humorous morality tale, Maliyan, a proud eagle meets a turkey, Wagun, who is a silly bird, and together these two new friends begin to do silly-bird things. The Elders and Maliyan’s parents are very disappointed, warning Maliyan that it’s hard to soar like an eagle when you are surrounded by turkeys. Maliyan sees the error of his ways and together with the other animals, works to clean up the mess wrought by too many silly birds. But some birds will always be silly…' (Publication summary)