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'When Elaine Russell was five, her dad built the family a shack just outside the Aboriginal mission at La Perouse in Sydney. In The Shack that Dad Built, Elaine illustrates what life was like for an Indigenous kid on the urban fringes. Her recollections range from the happy memories of hide-and-seek in the sand dunes and hunting for bush tucker to more bittersweet memories, such as her "Saddest Christmas Ever" (when the charity responsible for distributing presents to the local Aboriginal kids ran out of toys just as Elaine reached the head of the queue). Elaine's colourful, painterly illustrations vividly recreate these childhood experiences.'
Source: Publisher's blurb.
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Works about this Work
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Spreading the Seeds : Australian Indigenous Publishing for Young People
2009
single work
essay
— Appears in: Magpies : Talking About Books for Children , May vol. 24 no. 2 2009; (p. 8-12)Sheahan-Bright explores '...the growth in publishing by Indigenous writers and publishers, and of writing on Indigenous cultural themes, and some of the issues which confront publishers when dealing with Indigenous writers and illustrators' (8). The article begins with some background, and points out that despite a cultural and artistic heritage that dates back thousands of years, Indigenous writing and publishing has not been widely recognised in mainstream Australian until most recently and Sheahan-Bright says "This is despite their having been engaged in colonial conflict and later subject to the...assimilation policies which discouraged involvement with European notions of literacy" (8). She discusses the origins of the Indigenous publishing houses Aboriginal Studies Press (ASP), Institute of Aboriginal Development (IAD Press), Magabala Books, Keeaira Press, Black Ink Press, Indij Readers and briefly refers to the above mentioned texts in the section entitled 'what's being published'. This leads into a summary of the five main issues in relation to Indigenous publishing and the 'need for authenticity in writing about Indigenous peoples and culture' (11). Sheahan-Bright lists these issues as 'respect for country and Indigenous control of material', relevance of copyright issues, lack of understanding from non-Indigenous Australians, the need to consider 'protocol, specific authority, appropriation' and finally, to develop an awareness of the social factors that contribute to the socially and economically disadvantaged position of the majority of Indigenous Australians. She argues that 'knowledge of Indigenous culture is a genuine part of Australian culture ...and the publishing output should reflect that' (12). However, she concludes that while 'there has been growth in publishing Indigenous voices in English', in general, 'there are many miles still to be travelled and many seeds still to be sown' (12)
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Situating Childhood: A Reading of Spatiality in Aboriginal Picture Books
2005
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Papers : Explorations into Children's Literature , May vol. 15 no. 1 2005; (p. 59-67) In this essay, Lunt's objective is to read spatiality in Aboriginal picture books through the representations of inhabitation and spatial phenomena. The analysis focuses on Bob Randall and Kunyi June-Anne McInerney's Tracker Tjugingji (2003) which Lunt argues, invites readers to share a journey in and through cultural constructions of spatiality. Elaine Russell's A is for Aunty (2000) creates a montage of performative spatiality that links space and time while in Russell's most recent picture book, The Shack That Dad Built (2004), representations of spatiality are personified by embodiment. All three texts offer new ways of understanding spatiality and says Lunt, invite further explorations of 'the spatialisation of Australian childhood' (67). -
Animals, Boats and Shacks
2004
single work
review
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , October no. 265 2004; (p. 61-62)
— Review of Yardil 2004 single work picture book ; Lizzie Nonsense 2004 single work picture book ; Refugees 2003 single work picture book ; The Call of the Osprey 2004 single work picture book ; The Shack that Dad Built 2005 single work picture book -
Untitled
2004
single work
review
— Appears in: Magpies : Talking About Books for Children , May vol. 19 no. 2 2004; (p. 33)
— Review of The Shack that Dad Built 2005 single work picture book
-
Untitled
2004
single work
review
— Appears in: Magpies : Talking About Books for Children , May vol. 19 no. 2 2004; (p. 33)
— Review of The Shack that Dad Built 2005 single work picture book -
Animals, Boats and Shacks
2004
single work
review
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , October no. 265 2004; (p. 61-62)
— Review of Yardil 2004 single work picture book ; Lizzie Nonsense 2004 single work picture book ; Refugees 2003 single work picture book ; The Call of the Osprey 2004 single work picture book ; The Shack that Dad Built 2005 single work picture book -
Situating Childhood: A Reading of Spatiality in Aboriginal Picture Books
2005
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Papers : Explorations into Children's Literature , May vol. 15 no. 1 2005; (p. 59-67) In this essay, Lunt's objective is to read spatiality in Aboriginal picture books through the representations of inhabitation and spatial phenomena. The analysis focuses on Bob Randall and Kunyi June-Anne McInerney's Tracker Tjugingji (2003) which Lunt argues, invites readers to share a journey in and through cultural constructions of spatiality. Elaine Russell's A is for Aunty (2000) creates a montage of performative spatiality that links space and time while in Russell's most recent picture book, The Shack That Dad Built (2004), representations of spatiality are personified by embodiment. All three texts offer new ways of understanding spatiality and says Lunt, invite further explorations of 'the spatialisation of Australian childhood' (67). -
Spreading the Seeds : Australian Indigenous Publishing for Young People
2009
single work
essay
— Appears in: Magpies : Talking About Books for Children , May vol. 24 no. 2 2009; (p. 8-12)Sheahan-Bright explores '...the growth in publishing by Indigenous writers and publishers, and of writing on Indigenous cultural themes, and some of the issues which confront publishers when dealing with Indigenous writers and illustrators' (8). The article begins with some background, and points out that despite a cultural and artistic heritage that dates back thousands of years, Indigenous writing and publishing has not been widely recognised in mainstream Australian until most recently and Sheahan-Bright says "This is despite their having been engaged in colonial conflict and later subject to the...assimilation policies which discouraged involvement with European notions of literacy" (8). She discusses the origins of the Indigenous publishing houses Aboriginal Studies Press (ASP), Institute of Aboriginal Development (IAD Press), Magabala Books, Keeaira Press, Black Ink Press, Indij Readers and briefly refers to the above mentioned texts in the section entitled 'what's being published'. This leads into a summary of the five main issues in relation to Indigenous publishing and the 'need for authenticity in writing about Indigenous peoples and culture' (11). Sheahan-Bright lists these issues as 'respect for country and Indigenous control of material', relevance of copyright issues, lack of understanding from non-Indigenous Australians, the need to consider 'protocol, specific authority, appropriation' and finally, to develop an awareness of the social factors that contribute to the socially and economically disadvantaged position of the majority of Indigenous Australians. She argues that 'knowledge of Indigenous culture is a genuine part of Australian culture ...and the publishing output should reflect that' (12). However, she concludes that while 'there has been growth in publishing Indigenous voices in English', in general, 'there are many miles still to be travelled and many seeds still to be sown' (12)
- La Perouse, Randwick area, Sydney Eastern Suburbs, Sydney, New South Wales,
- La Perouse, Randwick area, Sydney Eastern Suburbs, Sydney, New South Wales,