1. Bilingual books
2. Board books
3. Bush tucker
4. Country
5. Family
6. Grandmothers
7. Papunya (South Central NT SF52-16)
8. Sand drawing

Warumpila Ngurrangka means Papunya country and this bilingual board book was created by the families and members of that community. The front and inside covers of the book shows a sand drawing being created by Papunya artist Kapunani Allen which shows ‘Grandmother telling stories to lots of little children’. It is this storytelling, this relationship between family members, that is central to the teaching and understanding of Culture and Country.

The book is part of the Northern Territory Library and Families as First Teachers project and starts on the first page with a reflective circle that enables the child to see themselves as central to the events of the book. The following illustrations alternate paintings of food such as witchetty grubs, honey ants and goanna with artwork showing community life such as the school bus and families collecting bush bananas.

Papunya is 240 kms north-west of Alice Springs and is well known as a significant centre for desert art particularly in the 1970s. The illustrations in the book were created by many members of the community.

1. ABC News Monique Ross 12 Oct 2016 ‘Reinventing Papunya’ https://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-10-16/reinventing-papunya/6850416?nw=0
2. ABC News Claire Campbell 16 Dec 2017 ‘No turkey, no carols: How the Northern Territory community of Papunya celebrates Christmas’ https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-12-16/an-australian-desert-christmas-in-papunya/9265100
3. Hermannsburg NT 15 July 2016 YouTube ‘Storytelling in the Sand’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1QvPLxS6NQ
4. Pangkupirri: A short sand story, Elizabeth Marrkilyi Ellis (Tjukulla, Western Australia) https://ictv.com.au/video/item/3755
5. Crackerjack Education ‘Teaching with Aunty : The Sand Symbols (Year 4)’ https://www.crackerjackeducation.com.au/teaching-with-aunty/art-styles-year-4/