Wombat, mudlark and other stories by Helen Milroy
![cover image](https://www.readplus.com.au/covers/wombatmudlarkandotherstories.jpg)
Fremantle Press, 2019. ISBN: 9781925815818.
(Age: 7+) Recommended. Themes: Aboriginal stories, Pilbara, Western
Australia. Eight stories about the environment from Helen Milroy
descended from the Palyku people of the Pilbrara region of Western
Australia, adds to the number of stories told with an Aboriginal
perspective which encourages people to more appreciate our shared
heritage.
These stories, from Wombat appreciating Mother Earth and her
allowing him to burrow deep down into her soil to let him sleep, to
the Mudlark singing to the Sun each day as he warms the pool to let
the bird splash in the mud without getting cold, each story tells of
the relationship between the animals and their environment in which
they live, detailing their friendship and dependence one upon the
other, underlining the fact that we are all responsible for our
environment and at the same time giving a social dictum for younger
readers to live by.
The book is one of a group published by Fremantle Press, Eagle,
Crow and Emu (2016) Cyclones and Shadows (2017) and Bush
and Beyond (2018) each presenting Indigenous authors and their
stories. Traditional Indigenous stories share information about
their cultures, wrapped in a story that captivates, enlightens and
amuses. So we see how animals came to be, their link to the Mother
Earth, the Sun, Moon and Comets, and learn a little of the
spirituality of their beliefs. But at its heart is a good story well
told and these four books offer stories that present basic
understandings to the readers.
In the story, 'Gecko and Big Rock', for example, the two are
friends, and when the sky darkens and blocks the sun, Gecko is cold.
He asks his friend, Big Rock to help, and he goes off to bring back
many rocks to pile on top of each other to reach into the sky,
allowing the lizard to access the sunlight to keep warm. The story
tells of the relationship between the animals and their environment
in a way that everyone can understand, emphasising the need one for
the other, giving reasons why these things occur and how they
evolved back before time. Each of the eight stories gives new life
to a tale of the environment, helping readers see how each can apply
not only to the animals but also the people who inhabit this
country.
Fran Knight