Adventures of the little black trackas

Written by Merle Hall
Graphic design and illustrations by Gary Saunders
Neenann: Mill Park, VIC.

To celebrate NAIDOC week 2015, AWCH purchased Adventures of the little black trackas, we are celebrating by looking at a children’s resource which “studies Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander arts and crafts”. The resource is a collection of four books, “welcome in Bangerang” country poster and CD, created for children aged 1 to 8. The children’s books and CD teach Bangerang language words. Through these vibrant books children discover Bangerang culture and learn about habitat and environment.


The books can be read to individual children or within a class. With 15 suggested activities written on the back cover, children can be inspired to write or create their own artworks. Local Aboriginal words can be substituted for Bangerang language words for people from a different Nation/Clan area.

The four books are:

• Adventures of the little black trackas: Yedabila (animals)

• Adventures of the little black trackas: Wala yedabila (water animals)

• Adventures of the little black trackas: Djunda (bird)

• Adventures of the little black trackas: Bamanebala (insects)

Each book features a different child who takes readers on a tracking journey. The readers are asked questions, learning Bangerang words as they look closely at the animals, birds, insects and habitat. Each journey starts with an introduction by the narrator who is the little black tracka. Readers accompany the little black tracka and learn about habitat and Aboriginal culture. At the end of each story the focus is returned to the smiling face of the little black tracka and the shared experience.

Graphic design and illustrations are in bright and earthy tones, they are both expressive and wonderfully detailed. The glossy A4 pages and bold pictures make these books useful for classroom reading. The books meet “Victorian essential learning standards VELS level 1 and 2 (pre, grade 1 and 2)”.

Adventures of the little black trackas is available for loan from the AWCH library or can be purchased through the Secretariat of National Aboriginal and Islander Child Care, SNAIC distributes this resource on behalf of the Neenann family, publishers. SNAICC writes how the resource supports “the Early Years Learning Framework for Australia of Belonging, Being and Becoming”. Visit their website to find out about the cultural significance of Adventures of the little black trackas.

Jillian Rattray

AWCH librarian

http://Library.awch.org.au

NAIDOC week 2015