Endpapers feature brightly coloured, swirling images that highlight familiar Australian birds often seen in the backyard. Each of the nine birds appears opposite an action statement such as ‘mudlark joins in with a prance’. Most of the birds are familiar such as the kookaburra, galah, willy wagtail, magpie, crow, cockatoo and owl. The text features alliteration and occasional rhyme which capture the nature of the different birds and add to the appeal, such as ‘Kookaburra comes to laugh’ followed by ‘Finch files in to take a bath’. Each bird features opposite a bold, single-coloured page while the bird is set against an exuberantly designed background. The final illustration brings all the birds together on one page while the text states, ‘In my backyard there’s lots to see. I love the birds that visit me!’ The art and design are mesmerizing and may inspire budding artists.
Helen Milroy is a descendant of the Palyku people of the Pilbara region of Western Australia. She is Australia’s first Indigenous medical doctor and first Indigenous psychiatrist. She works with young children at risk using storytelling and art in her daily life as a psychiatrist.
Series: Backyard no 1
Aboriginal and or Torres Strait Islander Resource
