Indigenous author and illustrator Jill Daniels is a Ritharrŋu and Madarrpa woman from South East Arnhem
Land in the Northern Territory and lives in a remote community on the banks of
the Roper River.
Jill’s bilingual board book, Counting Our Country
is not just a counting book.
In fact, it promotes cultural literacy and introduces
the reader to a culture and heritage many children may not be familiar with.
Counting to 10 is one of the first things we teach
our children and Jill’s bold use of colour and illustration of animals will
captivate their attention. Each page is a double spread featuring the animals
we are counting but also the word the animal is called in the Ritharrŋu language.
The
animals featured in the book can be found in Arnhem Land; goannas, barramundi,
long necked turtles and lots more.
Once
you have mastered counting, see if you can pronounce the animals name?
At
the end of the book there is a section which explains the Ritharrŋu language,
the sounds and spelling. Each letter or combination of letters represents one
sound. For instance, the letter combination of tj sounds like ur in the word
church.
This
board book is perfect for learning about Indigenous language and to count – a
must have for any library collection.
Title: Counting Our Country
Author
& Illustrator:
Jill Daniels
Publisher: Magabala Books, $12.99
Publication
Date: 1
February 2020
Format: Hardback
ISBN:
9781925768657
For
ages: 1+
Type: Board Books
