Australian flags and emblems by Karen Tayleur

Black Dog Books, 2013. ISBN 9781742031095. Pbk RRP $17.95
(Age: Primary school) Highly recommended. It seems quite a while since there has been a new book on this topic and Karen Tayleur has done a fine job of producing both a very useful and attractive resource. With some introductory information on the background of emblems, including traditional heraldic definitions and examples, Tayleur leads the reader to a well presented explanation of the flags associated with our country. Several pages are devoted to official national flags - Australian national flag, Aboriginal flag and Torres Strait Islander, with a history of each along with some history regarding the Union Jack.
There is a pleasing uniformity to the format with a double spread devoted to each state flag - the description and history faced with a picture of flag, coat of arms (annotated) and fact box with other state emblems. Each page is thoughtfully presented with white space breaking up sections of text and illustrations.
Tayleur concludes the book with a double page spread of other Australian flags such as the Eureka flag and Australian Territory flags e.g. Norfolk Island, some flag protocol information as well as a glossary and index.
All in all, a highly recommended book for primary school library collections - superbly suited to Australian Curriculum (e.g. History/Year 3/Historical Knowledge and Understanding/Community Remembrance). This book could be used across year levels with ease.
Sue Warren