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'This introduction situates the representation of plants in Australian children’s and young adult literature in relation to Indigenous Australian stories of and relationships with plants, and the field of critical plant studies. The first section discusses the notion of “storying plants,” grounded in Palyku writers Gladys Idjirrimoonya Milroy and Jill Milroy’s call to tell the “right” stories about trees. It then introduces the field of critical plant studies, reviews previous forays into the intersection between children’s and young adult literature and critical plant studies, and provides a historical overview of plant representation in Australian children’s and young adult literature, from colonial and postcolonial engagement and dislocation to recent Indigenous publications drawing on ancient relationships to Country and to plants. The subtitle, “Roots and Winged Seeds,” alludes to the ways in which plants, and the stories of plants, are at once anchored in the ground and travel widely. Thus, while considerations of Australia and its plants form the core of the book, it also includes transnational perspectives, including that of Aotearoa New Zealand, Ukraine, and Poland. The editors hope these contributions to plant studies and children’s and young adult literature act as winged seeds, flying across the world to take root.' (Introduction)
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
- Storying Plants in Australian Children's and Young Adult Literature : Roots and Winged Seeds 2023 anthology criticism
