An important message from Mr Beaky by Cassie Leatham & Sue Lawson

Mr Beaky tells us clearly where he and his flock roam, where they fly, where they live. They can be found all over Australia. They speak several languages. His name, budgerigar comes from the Gamilaray language and means good food. Called budgies, they come in all colours, usually green and yellow, some are blue, some white. But their colour is unimportant as they are all budgies.

Like Aboriginal people, some have darker skin, some lighter, some hair black, some grey, some red, some light. It is their makeup that matters, what they feel, what is inside, their soul or spirit. Cassie and Sue take the story out of the sky and the birds and into the realm of country, where we all live. Aboriginal people have been on this place for more than 60,000 years, and an image at the bottom of the page shares this with the time of the Ancient Egyptians, 4000 years ago. Mr Beaky reminds us that we should all care for our country. Country means animals, fish and birds, grass and trees, the land and water, Elders and ancestors. To do this, Mr Beaky tells us that we must respect our land, by listening to our Elders and our country. Only when this is done can we all be healthy.

This beautifully astute look at our Aboriginal heritage will grab the attention of all who read it. Using the budgie as the lead in, we see how widespread Aboriginal people are, the depth of their knowledge of the land, their respect for the land, the differences in language and appearance. Just like the birds, they have been here for an astonishingly long time, out stripping all the things usually used as a benchmark for longevity.

Young children will gain a host of understandings and information from this seemingly simple text. This is an informative book which gives more on rereading. At the end of the book a small glossary gives meanings to the Aboriginal words used in the text, while a page of information about the budgie is given.

The illustrations are arresting, using lines and circles, with dot techniques as the background on each page, keeping eyes firmly on the pages with their wonderful images of the budgie and its 3000 feathers.

An important message that should be read by all.

Themes: Aboriginal themes, Budgerigars, Australian history.

Fran Knight