Within this beautifully illustrated book is the story of the Dreamtime of the Australian Aboriginal people—how the animals of long ago created a world in which they all lived in peace and harmony. Gadurra, an elder, takes a young boy, Mirri, who is also his friend, into the outback and tells him about the time when the earth was first shaped. They look at the rock paintings and Gadurra instructs Mirri: “Sit quietly, my friend, and see what the paintings tell you.” And thus, through oral history, the traditions of Animal Dreaming have been handed down in the land around Kakadu. Mirri learns about his heritage and his place in his land through the stories of the Animal Dreaming; readers learn about ancestral spirits, sacred places, and respect for ceremony. Morin’s bold paintings reflect Aboriginal rock art, the images of the traditional Dreamtime, and vividly realistic portraits of the boy and his elder. (glossary) (Picture book. 6-10)
