Yinti, Desert Dog by Pat Lowe and Jimmy Pike

Yinti: book 2. Magabala Books, 2019. ISBN: 9781925936902.
Highly recommended. Written mostly from the perspective of the dingo companion of young boy Yinti and his family, this is a collection of anecdotes and accounts of family life in a traditional Aboriginal community in desert country. As a companion text to Yinti Desert Child, this book tells the same stories, but the perspective of the dingo adds an intriguing quality to the accounts. From the early details of the capture of the young dingo by Yinti's mother, community life and travel in the desert and into a station country, the animal skills of the dingo are revealed. The incredible capacity of the indigenous community in surviving in inhospitable terrain is also evident, as is their resilience and capacity for change.
Written simply, using the childhood experience of Jimmy Pike as the scaffold to create the stories of Yinti, this is a lovely book for non-indigenous readers to grow in understanding of traditional aboriginal life. Aboriginal readers will also be thrilled to encounter their own culture presented in a positive and natural way for all Australian children to enjoy. This is certainly a good book to share in a school context to expand cross-cultural understanding and respect. Themes: Traditional Aboriginal Culture; Dingoes.
Carolyn Hull