Thoughts on Cyclone Pam

It's been very distressing seeing all the destruction through Vanuatu caused by Cyclone Pam. The people are suffering due to lack of water, food, shelter and medicine. Food gardens have been obliterated. It will take many months before even the speediest crops will yield again. My thoughts and prayers are with the people of Vanuatu, and those affected in Kiribati, and the Solomon Islands.

Wurramatyenna and the Call from the Sea by Lisa Kennedy

Wurramatyenna and the Call from
the Sea (Dreaming Path
Books, 2014)

This picture book caught my eye due to the fabulous illustrations. It is written and illustrated by artist Lisa Kennedy who is of Tasmanian Aboriginal descent. The book tells the tale of two Aboriginal girls taken from their families during the sealing trade in the Bass Strait. Young Wurramatyenna hears the cries of the lost girls in the wind as he stands beside the sea. He journeys in his canoe to find the girls and set their spirits free.
   The illustrations are the best. Patterns of shells and geometric prints in mostly blues and greens are on each page. The wildlife are depicted clearly too. Each has a label beside it, naming the creature in both English and Palawa Kani. There is also a glossary at the back.
   Truly a work of art and with spiritual depth, this book is a treasure.