The story follows Larni, who lives in Perth and has always wanted to fly. She gets her chance and is going in the school holidays to visit her relatives in Port Hedland, a two hour plane ride away. Larni is also flying away from learning difficulties at school, where she believes everyone else is smarter. The author cleverly uses 'flying' as a literary device to describe how Larni is feeling. For example, Larni is 'taking off', 'floating on air', 'flying high' and 'over the moon'. Granny helps Larni understand that there are skills other than reading and writing that she can excel at and that all she needs to do is be herself.
The format of this book is appealing for early readers, with a colourful cover, short chapters and grey scale illustrations sharing the page with the text. There are track-like patterns snaking up the long edges of each page, enhancing the Indigenous feel of the book.
Sally Morgan is a descendant from the Palku people of the Pilbara, and Ezekiel Kwaymullina is her son. Craig Smith has illustrated many Australian educational and fiction books since the 1970s.
Aboriginal and or Torres Strait Islander Resource
