The circle of life.
An amazing children’s book that is not your typical “happy” book that you would read to your child BUT an important book that you SHOULD read to your child.
From the first time I read it, I felt how it captures the struggles of the Mallee people, waiting for the rain to help quench the lands’ thirst to provide for their crops. A fact that city folk tend to take for granted but a phenomenon that has been occurring for generations for farmers across these harsh lands.
Water is life at the end of the day and this book does tell a vital message for young readers without the harsh reality of losing livestock, bankruptcy and domestic turmoil that can come from a crop failure.
There is a happy ending when the rains arrive and it rejuvenates the Mallee people and the lands once again. It explains in an almost poetic way the cycle that occurs on our farms in outback Australia.
The book also reflects the sheer beauty of the land and the rewards that perseverance brings and is complemented by some amazing illustrations on every page, like a painting you would find at an art gallery.
A wonderful book that should be an essential addition for any parent looking for a realistic view of Australian life in the outback.