Mining and me by Michael Martucci
Illus. by Naya and Kostya Lazareva. Little Steps, 2019. ISBN:
9781925839210.
(Age: 3-8) Richly illustrated with the reds, yellows and browns of
the outback, Mining and me is a special book that describes
the life of a 'fly in, fly out' family. Martucci's father was a 'fly
in, fly out' miner, and he himself is a second generation 'fly in,
fly out' worker, so he brings an in-depth understanding of what
family life is life for both the children and the parents of these
workers. He describes the background to the story in an article
in Mining People International.
Written as a poem, the reader follows the story of a young boy who
has moved around Australia from Queensland to the Northern
Territory, his father working in different mines. He has '. . . a
parent who stayed, A parent who left' and he describes the feelings
of the child and the love that both his father and mother showed
him. The loving relationship in the family is very evident in the
way the children interact with their parents, and how the young
child grows up to be a loving father himself. An evocative touch was
the picture of his father as an older man, watching his
grandchildren. The strong message in the book was that the father
does it for love of his family, 'It was for them, to grow up happy
and strong.'
The illustrations are done in water colours and the backgrounds are
particularly evocative of the outback mines and countryside.
Children will love the wide eyed characters and cute little dog and
recognise the family life that features throughout the book.
Mining and me will be a boon for any family who has a 'fly
in, fly out' family member, providing great bedtime reading and will
give the wider community a greater understanding of what it is like
to be part of a mining family.
Pat Pledger