Our Country: Ancient Wonders by Mark Greenwood and Frané Lessac (Illustrator)

Title: Our Country: Ancient Wonders

Author: Mark Greenwood and Frané Lessac (Illustrator)

Genre: Non-fiction

Publisher: Walker Books

Published: ^2nd February 2022

Format: Hardcover

Pages: 40

Price: $26.99

Synopsis: This first book in the Our Country series takes readers on a journey across Australia to marvel at our unique geology and geography.

Our home is an ancient land. In every corner of Australia, wonders are waiting for curious explorers. With each vibrant fact-filled page of this unique book, readers will visit different natural wonders across all states and territories. See the prehistoric beasts that roamed the land in Winton, venture through the lava-formed caves at Undara, experience the fiery glow of Uluru and Kata Tjuta, and more! Adventure is out there . . . Our country is calling.

• Perfectly tied into the national curriculum, making this book ideal for schools and libraries.
• Mark Greenwood and Frané Lessac are both award-winning creators, who previously collaborated on Midnight, Simpson and his Donkey and Ned Kelly and the Green Sash among others.
• Includes a beautifully illustrated map of Australia, which highlights the amazing locations visited in the book.

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Australia is a country with a rich, diverse, and complex history, stretching back beyond 1788 – way into antiquity and what we term prehistory – which usually means the history that happened before written records were kept and made. Much of Australia’s ancient history is physical and oral, which makes it interesting and unique to read about, when I compare it to studying ancient Greece and ancient Egypt, for example.

Mark Greenwood has started a new series titled Our Country – about Australia, its culture and history over the many years it has existed – from Indigenous culture and beyond. To start the series, Mark looks at the Ancient Wonders – the natural formations and landmarks that have helped shape our understanding of Australia and the identities of many different Indigenous groups across the nation throughout the years. It is an introduction to these beautiful and unique places, and is aimed at kids aged seven and older, so would be very useful in an educational setting or to introduce people to some of the places in Australia that are unique and special, as well as sacred.

Reading this book, I discovered information about the many ancient and physical sites in Australia and the stories behind them – though brief. It can serve as a good starting point to investigate these places and visit them respectfully – and make sure that we understand what places like Uluru mean to the local Indigenous nations and people, for example. The sites explored in this book are also geological and geographical, so hopefully subsequent books in the series will look at culture and history across the board and before 1788 as well to give a well-rounded understanding – at least as a start – to Australia as a country. It is the kind of book that can be used to introduce concepts and ideas before students head off to more in depth texts about Australia, and the delightful illustrations bring the geography and geology to life, and it is all presented in an easy-to-understand and accessible way that all levels of education can use in a variety of areas of study across the curriculum.

Another great book from Walker Books!