Going Bush by Nadia Wheatley and Ken Searle
When a group of children from a variety of schools in Sydney is taken on a walk with an author and an illustrator, magic happens. The 16 children walk through Wolli Creek, bounded by Sydney Airport, Cooks River and Botany Bay. The walk takes them over the ngurra, the land of the Eora people who lived along Sydney's coast before European contact. Along the creek they are able to see things the Eora people would have seen, used, eaten and traded. The children are shown the introduced species, discover pollution, sit where the Eora would have sheltered, listen for the sounds, draw what they see, take photos and enjoy themselves with a group they have not met before.
The results of this bush walk are stunning. Back in the classroom, the children were encouraged to write about what they saw and felt. They did a journey diary showing where they went and what they saw, annotated with their words, photos and drawings. They were encouraged to finish their drawings over the next 8 weeks, write poems, and research and share their memories. The result is Going Bush, which is far more than a picture book. Classes could use it as a basis for their own research and excursion, as it gives an incredible amount of detail about just what the students can do on such a trip. It is a most informative and enervating teacher reference book.
The reason for doing the book, Harmony Day, resonates throughout the whole, as the children make new friends, overcome their shyness, build relationships, talk and discuss what they have found. 'Our story begins with the ngurra, the land. That's what we have in common. No matter where our families come from, this is the place that we call home.' Each double page spread of this beautiful book, shows the children working, or at play, talking, writing, drawing, taking photos and looking. Each page is filled with colour and light, with drawings, photos, found objects, things the students have made and written. It is a superlative model for teaching.
Fran Knight