Running from 6 to 13 July, NAIDOC week is a time to celebrate and recognise the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. NAIDOC Week is an opportunity for all Australians to learn about First Nations cultures and histories and participate in celebrations of the oldest, continuous living cultures on earth.
To help celebrate, we are offering 20% off a range of children's titles from Magabala Books, Australia’s leading Indigenous publishing house and an Aboriginal owned and led, not-for-profit corporation.
You can shop the sale here, but to help you pick we've highlighted some of our favourites below!
Our number one pick:
Young Dark Emu: A Truer History
Bruce Pascoe
If your kids only read one book for this NAIDOC week, let it be Young Dark Emu by Bruce Pascoe. This book is the perfect jumping board for families to talk about Australia’s historical treatment of our Indigenous peoples.
Back in 2014, Dark Emu by Bruce Pascoe was released into the world. Pascoe set out to prove ancient Aboriginal practices of agriculture and construction. It won many awards and significantly shifted the way Australians relate to their environment.
Then, in 2019 Pascoe gathered all his research and compelling first person accounts together to create a book for younger readers. Young Dark Emu: A Truer History asks young readers to consider a different version of Australia's history pre-European colonisation. Young Dark Emu was highly awarded upon its original release and now this updated edition brings a fresh look and format to the original content. For ages 7+.
Picture books
Open Your Heart to Country
Jasmine Seymour
Winner of the 2023 Prime Minister's Literary Award for Children's Literature, Open Your Heart to Country is a visually stunning picture book about reconnection to Country from a First Nations' perspective. It invites readers to reflect on the importance of place, not only for First Nations peoples but for everyone.
Told in English and Dharug, Open Your Heart to Country is part of an ongoing effort to teach and pass on the Dharug language, and includes a song and pronunciation guide at the back of the book. The illustrations, combining printmaking and painting with digital collage, will delight readers. It's a perfect book for the whole family to enjoy. For ages 3+.
Sky Country
Aunty Patsy Cameron, illustrated by Lisa Kennedy
'With our grandmother we walk all the way to the peak of the mountain. Cold wind blows through our hair. "Yah Melaythenner, Peulinghenar," Grandmother calls. Hello Country. Greetings. We hear whispering and we listen with all our ears.'
As Grandmother walks, she tells her young grandchildren an ancient story of creation, sky, and the First Peoples of the land. How two Ancestral Beings came down from the Milky Way to create the Trouwerner (Tasmanian) landscape. The story is a memory dating back to the Ice Age – a period of time when Trouwerner was joined to the Australian mainland.
Featuring stunning illustrations by Lisa Kennedy that are distinctly Tasmanian, and written using traditional language from North-East Clan Country, Sky Country is a perfect addition to anyone's bookshelves. For ages 5+
Junior fiction
Hairy Holes
Brenton E. McKenna
Ever wonder about the shadows lurking in the bush at night? Meet Begley and Redley Hole, two hairy hole people living ordinary lives in the Australian bush. But their whole world changes when a lost tourist named Joplin stumbles upon them with promises of friendship and help to search for their parents. That's when the fun really begins!
This is a hilarious graphic novel by Yawuru creator Brenton E. McKenna that brings to life a legend like no other. McKenna's delightful illustrations and easy to read writing will have children aged 5 and up howling with laughter!
Marngrook: The Long-ago Story of Aussie Rules
Titta Secombe, illustrated by Grace Fielding
Set at the foot of Duwul, the highest mountain in the spectacular Grampians region of north-west Victoria, Marngrook tells the sometimes controversial story of how Australian Rules Football was developed from ‘marngrook’, a ball game played by Aboriginal people more than 150 years ago.
Wawi, a clan Elder, notices that his son, Jaara, and the other children only have old toys to play with, so he goes for a walk to see what he can find for them. Wawi comes across a banya (ring-tailed possum) and has an idea. He kills the banya and skins it, turning it into a marngrook. Jaara and the children play with the marngrook every day and spend hours practising their kicks. But one day, Jaara kicks the marngrook far into the bush and finds himself lost … For ages 5+.
Middle grade
Uncle Xbox
Jared Thomas
Calling all gamers, this one's for you!
Dusty spends a lot of time playing games online, and usually with his stepdad, Marcus. But when Marcus packs up his car and leaves, he takes his Xbox with him. Determined to buy an Xbox of his own, Dusty tries odd jobs to make some money, but each one never quite works out. But then Uncle Rick shows up and teaches him about his culture and connection to Country. He introduces Dusty to surfing and shows him that there is much more to life than gaming. For ages 7+.
If you love Uncle Xbox, check out book two, Getting Dusty.
Bindi
Kirli Saunders, illustrated by Dub Leffler
Written in verse, this story follows 11-year-old Bindi, who lives on Gundungurra Country (southeastern NSW). She doesn't like maths but loves art class and playing hockey. But her most favourite thing is adventuring outside with friends or her horse, Nell. A new year starts like normal – school, family, hockey, dancing. But this year hasn't gone to plan! There's a big art assignment, a drought, a broken wrist and the biggest bushfires her town has ever seen.
Winning an endless amount of awards, Bindi is a call to action for conservation and caring for Country. It is a beautiful, heartwarming story with Gundungurra words woven throughout and Dub Leffler's illustrations delicately enhancing the story. For ages 7+.
Young adult
Desert Tracks
Marly Wells & Linda Wells
Have you ever felt as though you've gotten lost in a book? Well Millie actually has!
Millie, a Warlpiri teen, is reading a mysterious old story of Alice Springs published a hundred years ago, when a willy willy transports her to 1924! 1924 was a time where Central Australia was on the cusp of great change. There, Millie meets a crew of oddly familiar young people, Sonny, Beryl and Spike. As the group compare notes, they realise the Alice Springs of the past and the future are not as different as they seem …
Desert Tracks is a time travelling novel about young people in central Australia, about racial profiling, the historical legacy of racist policies and the relationship between history and the present. For ages 12+.
Tracks of the Missing
Carl Merrison & Hakea Hustler
When Deklan ‘Dek’ Archer and his mates arrive at school, they are told ‘Old Mate’, Mr Henry, has been found murdered. He had lived in town for a long time and had been selling grog on the black market for years. Worse still, a bus full of year 12s on camp has gone missing and the police think there's a link between the missing students and the murder. Dek is torn between an important football match that evening and searching for his friends. It's a choice that will change Dek’s life forever.
Tracks of the Missing is a murder mystery story that highlights the racism Indigenous people experience. It is also a story about connection to Country and traditions. For ages 12+.
