Finding Our Heart
A Story about the Uluru Statement for Young Australians
Published on 1. June 2020
Book
Hardback
40 pages
978-1-74117-717-6 (ISBN)
Description
Author Thomas Mayor's journey taking the message of the Uluru Statement to the people of Australia has been a moving experience. When he visited schools, in particular, the children surprised him. Their generation is the first to learn Indigenous languages, to appreciate Indigenous knowledge of the seasons, and learn the the truth of our history. Some children he met even knew more about the Australian Constitution than most adults do!
The expression, 'if only we could see the world through a child's eyes' is put into practice through the pages of this picture book for 5- to 10-year-olds. It is an important part of the people's movement for Voice, Treaty and Truth, helping children - and by extension, their families - to think about why substantive constitutional change is needed.
Featuring colourful illustrations, this book demonstrates that the heart of the nation can be found through an appreciation of First Nations' culture. Only then will a collective definition of Australian national identity become possible.
The expression, 'if only we could see the world through a child's eyes' is put into practice through the pages of this picture book for 5- to 10-year-olds. It is an important part of the people's movement for Voice, Treaty and Truth, helping children - and by extension, their families - to think about why substantive constitutional change is needed.
Featuring colourful illustrations, this book demonstrates that the heart of the nation can be found through an appreciation of First Nations' culture. Only then will a collective definition of Australian national identity become possible.
More details
Edition
First Edition, Hardback
Language
English
Place of publication
Australia
Target group
Children/juvenile
Interest Age: From 5 to 10 years
Illustrations
Full colour throughout
Dimensions
Height: 255 mm
Width: 297 mm
Weight
600 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-74117-717-6 (9781741177176)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Thomas Mayo is a Torres Strait Islander man born on Larrakia country in Darwin. As an Islander growing up on the mainland, he learned to hunt traditional foods with his father and to island dance from the Darwin community of Torres Strait Islanders. In high school, Thomas's English teacher suggested he should become a writer. He didn't think then that he would become one of the first ever Torres Strait Islander authors to have a book published for the general trade. Instead, he became a wharf labourer from the age of seventeen, until he became a union official for the Maritime Union of Australia in his early thirties. Quietly spoken in character, Thomas found his voice on the wharves. As he gained the skills of negotiation and organising in the union movement, he applied those skills to advancing the rights of Indigenous peoples, becoming a signatory to the Uluru Statement from the Heart and a tireless campaigner. Following the Uluru Convention, Thomas was entrusted to carry the sacred canvas of the Uluru Statement from the Heart. He then embarked on an eighteen-month journey around the country to garner support for a constitutionally enshrined First Nations voice, and a Makarrata Commission for truth-telling and agreement-making or treaties. Thomas's journey continues, both in person and through the pages of this book for young Australians.