The illustrator follows the author as she swings between the landscape and the intimacy of first person, connecting the reader to the countryside and life there.
We're drawn into close-focus images of family as they battle dust storms and water shortages, while sweeping panoramas reveal parched paddocks and lonely highways.
A stunning bird's-eye view of the township exposes the broader impact of drought on a community as people pass through and families move on.
Every brush stroke of this picture book is a masterpiece and every sentence a poetic homage to the sunset country and its strength.
While the broader effects of climate change are at the heart of this book, it is not without hope as the land is everchanging and the rains do eventually come.
Title: Mallee Sky
Author: Jodi Toering
Illustrator: Tannya Harricks
Publisher: Black Dog Books, $24.99
Publication Date: February 2019
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9781925381672
For ages: 6+
Type: Picture Book
