THEMES

• First Nations
• Climate change
• Community
• Creativity
• Connection
• Weaving

SYNOPSIS

Afloat is a story that explores the impact of

climate change, particularly on First Nations
people; how climate change can drive the further
dispossession and displacement of First Nations
people from their homelands.
AFLOAT
The story follows an Elder and child as they
Written by Kirli Saunders gather the materials they need to weave a raft. In
subtle, poetic language, writer Kirli Saunders
Illustrated by Freya Blackwood describes the practice of handing down
Teacher’s Notes by Bec Kavanagh and knowledge and coming together as a community.
Freya Blackwood’s illustrations are similarly
Kylie Caldwell gentle, inviting readers to bring their own
These notes may be reproduced for use within schools free of interpretations and experiences to the story. All
charge, but not offered in any part for commercial sale. of this is brought together in a simple but
ultimately hopeful narrative that invites readers
Copyright © Hardie Grant Children’s Publishing 2024.
to consider how they might come together with
their own communities to create the future they
LEARNING OUTCOMES
want.
RECOMMENDED FOR
primary-aged readers (ages 4-12, grades 2-4)

KEY CURRICULUM AREAS

• Learning areas: English
• General capabilities:
o AC9E3LA07
o AC9E2LA08
o AC9E3LA09
o AC9E2LE01
o AC9E3LE01
o AC9E4LE01
ABOUT THE AUTHOR/ ILLUSTRATOR

Kirli Saunders is a proud Gunai Woman who rarely stays in her lane. She's an award-winning
multidisciplinary artist, writer, singer-songwriter and consultant. Kirli creates to connect, to make change.
In 2022, she was awarded an Order of Australia Medal for her contribution to the arts. Kirli’s books have
been celebrated by multiple literary awards, such as the Prime Minister's and the Queensland, Victorian,
and Western Australian Premiers’ Literary awards, the Children’s Book Council Australia awards and the
Australian Book Industry awards. Her titles include Afloat (Hardie Grant, 2024), The Land Recalls You
(Scholastic, 2024), Returning (Magabala, 2023), Our Dreaming (Scholastic, 2022), Bindi (Magabala,
2020), Kindred (Magabala, 2019) and The Incredible Freedom Machines (Scholastic, 2018).

Freya Blackwood is an award-winning illustrator of children's books, who draws with a distinct style that
is warm, perceptive and immediately recognisable. Since publishing her first picture book in 2003, she has
has won multiple awards, including the prestigious Kate Greenaway Medal, and worked with writers such
as Libby Gleeson, Margaret Wild, Jan Ormerod, Nick Bland and Danny Parker. Freya lives in Orange,
New South Wales, with her daughter, Ivy.

THEMES

Community and connection

In Afloat, we see the many roles weaving can play: it’s a useful life skill, a way of passing on cultural
knowledge, a creative practice and a way of coming together and creating community. Describe the
community you see in the book. Who makes up your community? What are some of the things that you do
together?

Discuss the way that the author, Kirli Saunders, uses the language of weaving to also capture the way that
community comes together. One example of this is ‘to form bonds’. What other examples can you find?

Climate change

In her author’s note, Kirli Saunders writes that ‘Afloat sits in the broader global, political context of the
climate crisis. It is written for this time of rising seas, where First Nations Peoples particularly are
dispossessed of their homelands and displaced.’

Discuss this statement. Are there any words or phrases that you don’t understand? If so, look them up and
discuss their meaning in context. Describe some of the signs of climate change that are evident in the book.
What do you think this story suggests about the future?

First Nations knowledge

Author Kirli Saunders notes how connection to homeland or Country is vital to First Nations people: it is
part of their identity, and they have a strong relationship with and a deep understanding of the environment
they live in. However, as a result of colonisation, First Nations people are not often consulted with on the
treatment and management of their homelands. They are also often not allowed to live on their homelands
and with their communities. This creates a barrier for them to pass on their knowledge or for younger First
Nations people to learn about their homeland.

2
Discuss how First Nations knowledge might be helpful in working through climate change. Research
recent climate events that could have been prevented with First Nations knowledge of how to treat the
land. Some examples you could discuss with students include #TorresStrait8
(https://ourislandsourhome.com.au) or the floods on Bundjalung Country
(https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/aug/18/the-floods-tell-us-the-river-is-sick-we-should-
listen-to-indigenous-knowledge-to-help-country-heal).

WRITING STYLE

The language in Afloat is careful and poetic, rich with double meaning. Many of the words describe both
the act of weaving (literal meaning) and the act of coming together (the metaphorical meaning). Discuss
the difference between literal and metaphorical meanings Ask students to come up with their own
metaphors to describe their communities.

The language is also very active, connecting people and place through action. To describe this action,
Saunders uses verbs, or ‘doing words’. Make a list of the verbs in the book. Can you come up with your
own to describe the same actions?

COMPREHENSION

• The river in the book runs through many different locations – what are they?
• What do the characters in the book have to do to before they start weaving?
• In the story, ‘to yarn’ describes the act of conversation, as well as the act of weaving. Can you see
this happening in the story? The word ‘yarn’ is often used in Australia by First Nations and non-
First Nations people to describe having an informal chat with family and friends, and in a
culturally safe space.
• What are the characters in the story weaving?
• Why do you think the book is called Afloat?
• There’s a line in the book that says ‘we are here to brave the storm’. What do you think ‘the
storm’ is? What are some of the storms currently faced by communities across the world?
• How would you describe the relationship between old and young people in the book?
• Freya Blackwood says that she loves Afloat because it made her feel something emotionally. What
emotions does the book make you feel? Why?

WRITING EXERCISE

Think of an event or practice that brings your community together. Write a short narrative that describes it,
trying to use a metaphor and active verbs to bring it to life for your reader.

3
ILLUSTRATION STYLE

Freya Blackwood’s illustrations follow the river through Country, showing the way that people come
together and collect all the things needed to weave. At first, the illustrations are realistic in the way they
represent people and place, however as the woven creation starts to come together, they become more
fantastical, until finally the whale is revealed, flying into the future.

• What do you think the whale represents?

• How do these final images make you feel?
• Explore the very last page of the book – describe how the characters look in this image.

CREATIVE ACTIVITIES by Kylie Caldwell, Bundjalung multi-disciplinary artist

• Define weaving. List woven objects and the fibres and plants used. List which countries or
places these plants originate from. Draw or paint the objects and the plants that make them.
Collect examples of different weaving to allow students to look closely, visualise, feel, and
hold them and see them first-hand.
• Elders, including grandparents and adults, play a crucial role in every child's life as they care
for and guide children while passing on cultural values and understandings. Make a list of
essential adults in your life, including those you admire. Identify why they are significant and
what they teach and share. Pay extra attention to students who may find this activity
challenging due to family circumstances and provide examples of people who are not family,
if needed.
• First Nation Australians have a diverse range of weaving practices, and contemporary
Aboriginal weavers value the connectivity and communal nature of weaving, which
strengthens community cohesiveness. Invite a local First Nations weaver to teach weaving to
students and bring different weavers to showcase diversity. Many weavers offer weaving
workshops.
• Different types of plants are used for weaving. It is essential to understand their habitat and
importance in the ecosystem. Plants have a vital role in biodiversity and serve multiple
functions. For example, animals use them as food sources, shelters, nurseries for their young
ones, and nests for giving birth. Additionally, plants play a crucial role in maintaining the
health of waterways, promoting soil health, and reducing greenhouse gases caused by human
development. Consider creating a mini weaving garden or visiting local botanical gardens to
teach students about the multifunctionality of plants.
• Weaving is an ancient hand-made practice. Weaving styles originate from various places
across the world. Weavers' woven designs, patterns, and plants are specific to their places and
countries of origin. Pick a specific region or country and draw the different types of weaving
techniques, patterns, and plants.
• Identify man-made and natural environments. Ask where the water comes from in both
environments, what happens if the water is unclean and poisoned, and who does this
effect/impact. Sea levels are rising; what communities and countries are impacted by rising
sea levels, such as the Torres Strait Islands?

4
RELATED READING

Our Dreaming by Kirli Saunders

The Land Recalls You by Kirli Saunders

Our Home, Our Heartbeat by Adam Briggs

Feather by Margaret Wild

Weaving references:
• Investigating the ways in which Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples combine different
materials to produce utensils (hafting, weaving, sewing and gluing)
https://australiancurriculum.edu.au/TeacherBackgroundInfo?id=56588
• Interwoven Education Resource: Teacher’s Notes
https://www.latrobe.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/1126758/Interwoven-Education-
Resource_Teachers-Notes-.pdf
• Wiradjuri artist Peta-Joy Williams as she shares traditional techniques for weaving a
bangle/armband
https://www.sea.museum/explore/apps-and-games/kids-craft/make-and-create/weaving-with-
peta-joy-
williams#:~:text=Weaving%20is%20an%20established%20creative,%2C%20scoops%2C%20sculpt
ures%20and%20more.
• Janice Rigney who talks about and demonstrates traditional aboriginal basket weaving. This was
filmed voluntarily on behalf of the local council
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rskq8qb_Z3Y
• How to Weave a Basket with Tjanpi Desert Weavers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5w3G1Qx_1Y
• Traditional Weaving Landcare Workshop - Natural Fibres
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5hT0XNcX2k
• Which plants can I use for basket making that grow in my area?
https://www.craftschooloz.com/post/what-plants-can-i-use-for-basket-making-that-grow-in-my-
area

5
Magabala Books Teacher Notes
Prepared by Christina Wheeler

Bindi
Written by Kirli Saunders
Illustrations by Dub Leffler

OVERVIEW
Meet 11-year-old Bindi. She’s not really into maths but LOVES art class and playing
hockey. Her absolute FAVOURITE thing is adventuring outside with friends or her horse,
Nell. A new year starts like normal – school, family, hockey, dancing. But this year hasn’t
gone to plan! There’s a big art assignment, a drought, a broken wrist AND the biggest
bushfires her town has ever seen!

Bindi is a verse novel for mid-upper primary students. Written ‘for those who plant trees’,
Bindi explores climate, bushfires, and healing. Written from the point of view of 11-year-
old, Bindi and her friends on Gundungurra Country.

• Daisy Utemorrah Award Winner

• Beautiful black and white illustrations from award-winning illustrator Dub Leffler
• Award-winning author Kirli Saunders
• Junior fiction verse novel rich in character and relationships, with some Gundungurra
language
• Beautifully crafted, sensitively written story that reflects a young girl’s relationship to
family, her animals, her friends, her Country and her creativity
• Sensitive depiction of a bushfire and its impact on people and community
• Wonderful addition to every family’s bookshelf
• Well suited to mid-primary

ABOUT THE AUTHOR & ILLUSTRATOR

Kirli Saunders is a proud Gunai Woman and an award-winning international Children’s
author and poet as well as a teacher, and emerging artist. She created Poetry in First
Languages, delivered by Red Room Poetry. Bindi has been shortlisted for a CBCA Book of
the Year Award, an Australian Book Industry Award (ABIA), Readings Children’s Book Prize
and an Australian Book Design Award. Her debut picture book The Incredible Freedom
Machines was shortlisted for the Prime Minister’s Literary Awards and CBCA notables.
Her poetry collection, Kindred (Mabagala Books, 2019) was shortlisted for the 2021
Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards, an ABIA in 2020 and the FAB Booktopia Awards. She
is the winner of the University of Canberra ATSI Poetry prize (2019) and was runner up
in the Nakata Brophy Prize 2018. Kirli is an esteemed judge for the 2020 Prime Minister’s
Literary Awards and Val Vallis Poetry Prize. Kirli is the 2020 NSW Aboriginal Woman of the
Year.

Descended from the Bigambul people of South-West QLD, Dub Leffler is one of
Australia’s most sought after illustrators of children’s literature. He has written two
books for children and is currently illustrating his 25th title. Dub’s work has afforded
him travel to places as diverse as remote Australia, Europe, Indonesia and America and
his illustrations are now in permanent collection in The National Library of Congress in
Washington, DC. He has collaborated with the likes of Colin Thompson, Sally Morgan and
Banksy.

© Magabala Books Bindi • Teacher Notes 1/5

THEMES
• Aboriginal Australians - Social Life and Customs
o Country, Mother Earth, Respect, Elders, Ancestors, Totems, Language, Dance, Song, Community, Firestick Farming,
Sustainability
• Bushfires
• Resilience
• Family

AUDIENCE AND WRITING STYLE

Bindi takes place in a rural setting that is ravaged by bushfire. Written as a verse novel, it follows the escalating chaos
threatening Bindi and her community as the disaster unfolds. Beautifully interwoven with Gundungurra language and
Aboriginal culture and customs, it shares the traditional responses to and custodianship of Earth Mother used to
mitigate the fury of bushfires. Kirli Saunders’ writing is pure and evocative, effortlessly incorporating figurative devices
to give Bindi a distinctive literary quality. It is highly relevant to the Year 5 curriculum, however, is suitable for a range of
mid-upper primary audiences.

LINKS TO THE AUSTRALIAN CURRICULUM

This book and the classroom activities provided are primarily relevant to the following areas of the Australian
Curriculum:
Learning area Year level
English 4-6
HASS 4-5
The appendix highlights relevant content descriptions, cross-curriculum priorities and general capabilities that relate to
the text and classroom ideas provided.

CLASSROOM IDEAS
• Bindi is told in three parts: Seedlings, Cinders and Sprouts. As you read, record the subject matter and contexts of
the poems in each section. What themes, plot points and attributes of Aboriginal culture are shared? What is the
significance of these section headings?
• The first poem introduces readers to Bindi. How does this poem draw readers immediately into the text? Write a free
verse poem introducing yourself to your classmates. Include information about your family, hobbies, pets and friends.
• In Curried Sausages (pp 5-6), Bindi alludes to the things that have changed and those that have stayed the same as
the new school year commences. Discuss her ideas. How does this compare with the start of your new school year?
How does this poem foreshadow the challenges the community is about to face?
• Discuss the use of figurative language in Afternoon Rides (pp 7-8). How do these language choices contribute to the
verse?
• In Fambam (pp9-11), Bindi uses the metaphor of ‘warm butter sliding down toast’ to describe her mum. What
metaphor would you use to describe your mother? What do we learn about Bindi’s relationship with her family
through this poem? How do we know? Write your own Fambam verse based on your family.
• In Rockmelon with Dinner, the family laughs ‘in the belly/of our home’ (p13). Which part of the home do you think this
is? Why?
• What role does Aunty Lindy play in Bindi? How does she help embed crucial Aboriginal culture and customs into the
text? What does she mean when she says ‘listening deeply/means hearing from the heart:/hearing with more/than
ears’ (p14)? Why does she say that ‘unmanaged canbe/are the thieves/of our culture/and history’ (p90)?
• Discuss the motif of the black cockatoo that runs throughout Bindi. What does it represent? Why are its colours of
‘black, red and yellow’ described as ‘symbolic’ (p15)?
• The garrall, black cockatoo, is Aunty Lindy’s totem. What is a totem? Watch the following clip to better understand
the role of totems in Aboriginal culture: http://sydney.edu.au/kinship-module/learning/4-totems.shtml. Explain this
to a friend in your own words.
• Who are the ‘Old People’ referred to throughout Bindi? Discuss in context with the Aboriginal connection to Ancestors
and the Dreaming.

© Magabala Books Bindi • Teacher Notes 2/5

CLASSROOM IDEAS CONT.

• Why does the community make a point of planting and looking after she-oaks? What is their relationship with other
key aspects of the text?
• What role does art play in Bindi’s life? How do we know?
• Discuss the poems in which Bindi paints murals on her bedroom wall. How do these verses help connect various
parts of the story? (See p22, 43, 63, 69, 123)
• Why doesn’t Bindi want her ability to paint to ‘stand out’ (p17)? What does this tell us about her personality?
• What are Bindi’s gifts and talents? Which of these are related to her character strengths, rather than her physical
abilities? Discuss how these strengths develop throughout the text. What are your character strengths? Write a
reflection to share your thoughts.
• Discuss Kirli Saunders’ use of description and imagery in 5.2.21 (pp19-21). Why are her language choices so effective?
• Although Bindi claims to dislike Maths, why has the author used poems such as Maths Class (p49) and 17.3.21 (p88) to
incorporate mathematical concepts?
• Discuss the power of song and dance in Bindi. How are they used to show the interconnectedness between Country,
Mother Earth, Ancestors, Elders and Community? Use poems such as 8.2.21 (pp 23-24) as a guide. Why does Bindi say
‘We are infinite’ (p24)?
• What role does hockey play in Bindi’s life, and in the text generally? What attitudes and character strengths are being
amplified through the hockey-related verses? (See pp 25-27, 44-45, 107-108, 117-119)
• Why does Bindi say that her ‘ideas/had never been my own’ (p40)? Discuss whether she says this in a positive or
negative manner, giving reasons to support your thoughts.
• Annotate a copy of Walk Home starting on p41, discussing the use of figurative devices in the verse.
• As you read the text, create a character profile of Bindi. How does she react and respond to the ensuing danger of
the bushfire? Give evidence from the text to support your ideas.
• Create a list of any new or unfamiliar words, particularly those from the Gundungurra language, which you encounter
in the text. What do these words mean? Create a class word wall to help make your learning visible.
• Discuss the formatting of the poems, particularly the choice of line breaks and position of words on the page. How
do these choices add meaning to the poems? Examples include Horse Ride (p51-52), Canbe (pp77-79) and Flying High
in the Loungeroom (pp105-106).
• Explore the poetic devices used throughout the text, discussing how they contribute to the narrative. Examples
include:
o to welcome the karrat/to chapped lips/and cheeks/of dulang/and creeks p37
o sheets blew like leaves p39
o The day drips/with the scent of camellias/that droop over fences…their velvet petals/pool on the path’ p41
o Slipped it to Nulla/who slapped it to Mia p44
o Elsie spoons peas/around her plate/scoring goals in garlic sauce p47
o the canbe…licked the back fence p53
o the heat grows/more intense than the hottest stove p73
o there are hundreds of people/carrying their homes like turtles p75I
o roll my wrist/free from plaster/and flood blood/in place of restriction p101
o her limbs/welcoming wing-made wind p101
o beneath the trees/now sprayed green p111
• Why has Kirli Saunders deliberately included Bindi breaking her wrist and the black cockatoo hurting its wing? How
are Bindi and the bird like one another? Why does Bindi need to ‘learn to fly again too’ (p95)?
• Discuss the metaphor of Mother Nature as a puppeteer on pp61-62. How is allowing nature to ‘take its course’ (p61) a
central theme of Bindi?
• Write a reflection about Groceries starting on p67. Have you ever felt the worry that comes with the behaviour of
shoppers during crisis events? Share your thoughts.
• Discuss the use of repetition, metaphor and simile in Evacuation 1 (pp70-72). Why are these such powerful devices?
How have they been used to create impact and meaning? Write a script outlining what the teachers’ hands are saying
‘for them’ (p71).

© Magabala Books Bindi • Teacher Notes 3/5

CLASSROOM IDEAS CONT.

• Why does Uncle say that Mother Earth ‘has been living/unloved/for too long’ (p78)? How would the Old People have
done things differently?
• Discuss the formatting of line 9 of Day 5 (p80). Why is this so effective?
• Sketch the scene depicted in Cave Karrat starting on p92.
• As in Art Class Selection (pp103-104), use charcoal to draw ‘apologies to the Earth’. Why is this action so powerful at
this stage of the text?
• What is back burning? How have Aboriginal people traditionally used back burning and firestick farming to proactively
manage bushfire season? See Back Burning (pp109-110).
• Kirli Saunders uses formatting with great effect on p119 to depict the hockey game. Use this technique to write a
verse about a sport or hobby that you enjoy.
• How is rhythm used to create meaning in Back in the Saddle (pp120-122)? Compare this ride with the one in which
Bindi falls off her horse (pp51-52). How have language features been used in both poems to create such different
moods?
• What is the main purpose of Bindi? How does School Mural (p123) help to convey this with such simplicity?
• What do we learn about Aboriginal culture and customs by reading Bindi?
• Bindi’s brother, Omeo, loves working with plants – ‘the earth will always be his calling’ (p47). Why does Bindi think
he may one day be a ‘medicine man’ (p47)? Find out more about bush medicine by using books such as the Living
With the Land series by Pearson Library, or from websites such as: https://www.australiangeographic.com.au/topics/
history-culture/2011/02/top-10-aboriginal-bush-medicines/
• What role does Country play in Aboriginal culture? How do Aboriginal people connect with and care for Country? How
does Bindi share this with readers?
• What role does family play in Bindi’s life? Create a graphic organiser to show the relationships she has with various
members of her family. Similarly, create a visual representation of the connections you have with members of your
family.
• In the role of Bindi, write a recount of the day you fell from your horse, Nell.
• Rewrite this story from the point of view of the black cockatoo rescued by Bindi.
• Compare Bindi with Fire by Jackie French and Bruce Whatley (Scholastic) or Through the Smoke by Phil Cummings
and Andrew McLean (Scholastic). How does the description of the fire in Returning (pp81-83) reflect the illustrations
in some of these picture books? Use one of the page openings in these picture book texts as stimulus for your own
verse about a bushfire.
• How does the inclusion of Gundungurra language in Bindi embellish the reader’s understanding of the importance of
language in Aboriginal culture?
• Kirli Saunders’ voice is instantly arresting. Discuss the importance of a strong sense of voice in writing. How has this
been achieved?
• Discuss the power of free verse poetry in creating evocative and tangible messages. Experiment with writing your
own free verse poetry.
• Which is your favourite poem in Bindi? Analyse the poetic devices used in this poem. Why is it so effective?

© Magabala Books Bindi • Teacher Notes 4/5

APPENDIX – LINKS TO THE AUSTRALIAN CURRICULUM

Year Curriculum Area

4 English
Literature
• Make connections between the ways different authors may represent similar storylines, ideas and
relationships (ACELT1602 - Scootle)
• Create literary texts that explore students’ own experiences and imagining (ACELT1607 - Scootle)
Hass
History
• The diversity of Australia’s first peoples and the long and continuous connection of Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander Peoples to Country/Place (land, sea, waterways and skies) (ACHASSK083 - Scootle)
Geography
• The custodial responsibility Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples have for Country/Place, and how
this influences views about sustainability (ACHASSK089 - Scootle)

5 English
Literature
• Identify aspects of literary texts that convey details or information about particular social, cultural and
historical contexts (ACELT1608 - Scootle)
• Use metalanguage to describe the effects of ideas, text structures and language features on particular
audiences (ACELT1795 - Scootle)
• Understand, interpret and experiment with sound devices and imagery, including simile, metaphor and
personification, in narratives, shape poetry, songs, anthems and odes (ACELT1611 - Scootle)
• Create literary texts that experiment with structures, ideas and stylistic features of selected authors
(ACELT1798 - Scootle)
Hass
Geography
• The influence of people, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, on the environmental
characteristics of Australian places (ACHASSK112 - Scootle)
• The environmental and human influences on the location and characteristics of a place and the
management of spaces within them (ACHASSK113 - Scootle)
• The impact of bushfires or floods on environments and communities, and how people can respond
(ACHASSK114 - Scootle)

6 English
Literature
• Make connections between students’ own experiences and those of characters and events represented in
texts drawn from different historical, social and cultural contexts (ACELT1613 - Scootle)
• Analyse and evaluate similarities and differences in texts on similar topics, themes or plots (ACELT1614 -
Scootle)
• Identify the relationship between words, sounds, imagery and language patterns in narratives and poetry
such as ballads, limericks and free verse (ACELT1617 - Scootle)
• Create literary texts that adapt or combine aspects of texts students have experienced in innovative ways
(ACELT1618 - Scootle)
• Experiment with text structures and language features and their effects in creating literary texts, for
example, using imagery, sentence variation, metaphor and word choice (ACELT1800 - Scootle)

© Magabala Books Bindi • Teacher Notes 5/5

Magabala Books Teacher Notes
Kindred
written by Kirli Saunders
Teacher Notes prepared by Christina Wheeler

OVERVIEW
Kindred, Kirli Saunders debut poetry collection, is a
pleasure to lose yourself in. Kirli has a keen eye for
observation, humour and big themes that surround Love/
Connection/Loss in an engaging style, complemented
by evocative and poignant imagery. It talks to identity,
culture, community and the role of Earth as healer.
Kindred has the ability to grab hold of the personal in the
universal and reflect this back to the reader.

• Highly commended 2018 black&write! Indigenous

Writing Fellowship
• Well known spoken word performer
Kirli’s poem ‘A Dance of Hands’ was Runner-up in the
• Teacher notes aligned to Australian Curriculum, Nakata Brophy Prize. Her poetry has been published by
secondary students Cordite and Overland and is embedded in infrastructure
•  ublicity will be sought in all relevant magazines,
P at Darling Harbour and the Royal Botanical Gardens,
journals and newspapers and on social media Melbourne. Kirli has been a Writer in Residence at
Bundanon Trust, Q Station and The Literature Centre,
THEMES Fremantle for ‘The Sound of Picture Books’.
• Aboriginal Peoples - Social Life and Customs
• Aboriginal Peoples - Histories and Culture WRITING SYLE
• Country Kindred is a collection of beautifully written free-verse
• Mother Earth poetry that explores the importance of Country, kin,
identity and love. Contemporary yet nostalgic, readers
• Kin
are invited to share Kirli Saunders’ rich, deep connection
• Love with Aboriginal culture, along with her respect and love
• Relationships for Mother Earth and the important people in her life.
• Identity As such, Saunders’ perspective renders Kindred a truly
absorbing text that helps readers to better understand
• Belonging
critical aspects of Aboriginal culture including Mother
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Earth, community, respect and lore. It tenderly refers
to the injustices faced by Aboriginal people following
Kirli Saunders is a proud Gunai woman with ties to the
white settlement, but does so in an age-appropriate and
Yuin, Gundungurra, Gadigal and Biripi people. Kirli is the
sensitive manner. Because of its subject matter, it is best
Manager of Poetic Learning and Aboriginal Cultural Liaison
suited to a young adult audience.
at Red Room Poetry. She was awarded ‘Worker of the Year
2017’ at the NAIDOC Awards in the Illawarra / Shoalhaven
region and has been nominated for a national NAIDOC
LINKS TO THE AUSTRALIAN CURRICULUM
Award in 2018. Kirli founded the Poetry in First Languages These notes have been written in context with the
project. Her first children’s picture book, The Incredible Australian Curriculum. The appendix highlights relevant
Freedom Machines, illustrated by Matt Ottley, was selected cross-curriculum priorities and content descriptors across
for Bologna Book Fair and is published internationally. a range of year levels that the following activities address.

Kindred • Teacher Notes © Magabala Books 1

CLASSROOM IDEAS

• Kindred is told in three parts: Mother, Earth Child and • What message can be taken from poems such as
Lover. As you read, record the subject matter and Wildflower (p33)?
perspectives of the poems in each section. What • What are the messenger birds communicating
attitudes, beliefs and attributes of Aboriginal culture is in Bundanon (p43)? How does this reflect the
shared in each? interconnectedness between Aboriginal people and
• Discuss the use of repetition in Matriarchs (p3). Why is nature?
this such a powerful device? How has it been used to • In Chasing Trains (p54-55), the poet shares the
create rhythm and meaning? relationship she has with her father. Write a poem
• What does Disconnection (p4) tell us about the innate that shares the relationship that you have with a
connection between Aboriginal people and Country? parent.
How has the poet achieved this? • This City Misses You (p57) highlights the streetscape
• What is the connection between the poems referring to of Sydney. Write a poem that reflects your favourite
mothers and those about Mother Earth? aspects of your hometown.
• What is alluded to in Aunty (p6)? How does the poet • Write a poem that celebrates one of your siblings,
share this with readers? similar to Sister (p59) or Brother (p61-61).
• What do poems such as Dharawal Country (p26) • Choose a small collection of poems from Kindred to
share with readers about the post-colonial Aboriginal use in a discussion about the importance of love in
experience? the text.
• What aspects of Aboriginal culture are evident in • How does Play the Blues (p76) perfectly reflect the
poems such as Unbind, (p7) Dear Ancestors (p8) and power of music to mend hearts?
Old Spirits Embodied (p11)? • In New Years Wish (Part I) (p82) and New Years Wish
• What advice is shared in This Is It (p10)? To whom (Part II) (p83), the poet speaks earnestly to two of her
might this poem be addressed? friends. What is she wanting to say to them? Write a
• How does the inclusion of Dharawal language in poem to one of your friends, sharing your hopes and
My Apologies (p12) and Gundungurra language in encouragement for them.
Wirritjiribin (p32) embellish the reader’s understanding • Re-read the poem entitled Kindred (p84-85). What
of the importance of language in Aboriginal culture? sentiments does this poem capture? Why is this the
• What role does writing and the arts play in the poet’s title of the text?
life? How does she encourage others to express • Write a reflection that explains what The Jackpot
themselves? Discuss in context with poems such as (p86) is saying about love?
New Chapter (p14), Play the Blues (p76), Train Stranger • With reference to the final poem in the text, Sans
(p78) and Self Care (p92-93). Ego (p96), write a journal entry that discusses the
• Compare Detour (p16) with Robert Frost’s The Road Not significance of this poem to Kindred. Discuss the
Taken. significance of the typesetting of the title on the front
• What message is the poet conveying in Reinventing cover.
(p17)? • Kirli Saunders’ voice is instantly arresting, drawing
• Who is The Artist (p21)? What does this poem tell us readers into the text with her rhythmic and evocative
about the poet’s relationship with nature? language choices. Discuss the importance of a strong
sense of voice in writing. How has this been achieved?
• How do the poems Sacred Spaces I (p22) and Sacred
Spaces II (p23) share aspects of Aboriginal values, • Kindred goes to great lengths to emphasise the central
customs and beliefs? place of country and Mother Earth to indigenous
culture. As you read the text, keep note of the
• What is the poet’s message in Transplant (p25)?
many ways in which the poet expresses this. Write
• Discuss the use of line breaks to create meaning in a reflection to share the interconnectedness that
Rain (p27). Aboriginal people have with country, identity and
• Select a collection of poems from Kindred that reflects culture.
the relationship that Kirli Saunders has with nature • Explain the relationship that the poet shares with
and Mother Earth. Annotate your selections to explain her mother (Matriachs p3) and father (Chasing Trains
your ideas. p54-55). Use examples from the text to help in your
• Discuss the use of imagery used in poems such as explanation.
Rainman (p29) and Quake of the Earth (p38-39). How • Discuss the power of free verse poetry in creating
does imagery connect readers with the subject matter? evocative and tangible messages. Experiment with
• The lyrebird is one of Kirli Saunders’ personal totems. writing your own free verse poetry.
With reference to Wirritjiribin (p32) and Totemic Love
(p56), discuss the role that totems play in Aboriginal
culture.

Kindred • Teacher Notes © Magabala Books 2

YEAR CURRICULUM AREA

7 English
Literature

• Identify and explore ideas and viewpoints about events, issues and characters represented in texts drawn
from different historical, social and cultural contexts (ACELT1619)

• Discuss aspects of texts, for example their aesthetic and social value, using relevant and
appropriate metalanguage (ACELT1803)

History

• The importance of conserving the remains of the ancient past, including the heritage of Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander Peoples (ACDSEH148)

8 English
Literature

• Explore the ways that ideas and viewpoints in literary texts drawn from different historical, social and
cultural contexts may reflect or challenge the values of individuals and groups(ACELT1626)

• Explore the interconnectedness of Country/Place, People, Identity and Culture in texts including those by
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander authors (ACELT1806)

• Recognise and explain differing viewpoints about the world, cultures, individual people and concerns
represented in texts (ACELT1807)

9 English
Literature

• Interpret and compare how representations of people and culture in literary texts are drawn from different
historical, social and cultural contexts (ACELT1633)

• Reflect on, discuss and explore notions of literary value and how and why such notions vary according
to context (ACELT1634)

• Analyse texts from familiar and unfamiliar contexts, and discuss and evaluate their content and the appeal
of an individual author’s literary style (ACELT1636)

10 English
Literature

• Compare and evaluate a range of representations of individuals and groups in different historical, social
and cultural contexts (ACELT1639)

• Evaluate the social, moral and ethical positions represented in texts (ACELT1812)

• Compare and evaluate how ‘voice’ as a literary device can be used in a range of different types of
texts such as poetry to evoke particular emotional responses (ACELT1643)

Cross-Curriculum Priorities
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and culture

Kindred • Teacher Notes © Magabala Books 3

SCHOLASTIC TEACHING NOTES OUR DREAMING

Our Dreaming
AUTHOR
KIRLI SAUNDERS
ILLUSTRATOR
DUB LEFFLER

SCIS: 5414586
ISBN: 9781742995113
RECOMMENDED FOR: Lower Primary

SYNOPSIS
Goodjagah, little one, walk with me ... I want to tell you our Dreaming as the Elders told it to me.
Award-winning storytellers, Gunai woman Kirli Saunders and Bigambul man Dub Leffler, explore a deep love and respect
for Country and all her spirits ... past, present and beyond.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kirli Saunders is a proud Gunai Woman and award-winning multidisciplinary creator and consultant. An experienced
speaker and facilitator advocating for the environment, gender and racial equality and LGBTIQA+ rights, Kirli was named
the NSW Aboriginal Woman of the Year in 2020.

ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR

Dub Leffler is a descendent from the Bigambul people of South-West Queensland. He is one of Australia’s most awarded
and in-demand illustrators of children’s literature.

STUDY NOTES
• Before reading the story, as a class discuss the book cover and title. Some things to include in your discussion could
be:
◦ What can you see happening on the cover of this book?
◦ Where do you think this book might be set and why?
◦ What time of day is it in the cover artwork? How can you tell?
◦ How does looking at the cover artwork make you feel?
◦ What is The Dreaming?
◦ What do you think the title Our Dreaming might refer to?
◦ What do you think could happen in this story?
• As you read the story, talk about the different Gundungurra words that you encounter. As a class, discuss what you
think each word might mean, and what in the text and pictures can give you a clue to its meaning. After reading
the book, look at the word list inside the back cover where there is a pronunciation and meaning guide for each
Gundungurra word. How many of the words have meanings that are similar to what you thought they might be?
Reread the story, and this time refer to the word-list in the back every time you come across a Gundungurra word

1
SCHOLASTIC TEACHING NOTES OUR DREAMING

whose meaning or pronunciation you can’t remember. As a class, discuss whether or not your guesses were accurate
and why you think this might be the case.
• Which indigenous people are the traditional custodians of your local area? Do you know the words that would be
used for such things as mountain, river, earth or gumtree in your local language? If you do not live in Gundungurra
Country, as a class, research your local language, and learn the local words for the places, acts and ideas that are
explained in the wordlist in the back of the book. If you do live in Gundungurra Country, make a list of some other
important words that you would like to learn in Gundungurra, and find out how to say them.
• Invite someone from the local indigenous community to share with your class some of the knowledge and learning
that they have about their Language, Country and The Dreaming.
• As a class look carefully at all the bright bush colours that are used to create the artwork in the end pages of the
story and discuss what you see. Do you think that you could create a patterned multi-coloured artwork in this style?
What types of art materials do you think you would need to create an artwork similar to this one? In pairs or small
groups experiment with creating different effects using coloured pencils, watercolour pencils and watercolour paints.
When you have created several different effects that you like, individually use your new skills and techniques to
create a full-page artwork inspired by the end pages of the book. Mount your artwork on black card and display it on
the wall for everyone to appreciate.
• What do you think is the most important message in Our Dreaming?
• How does reading Our Dreaming make you feel? Create an artwork that you feel shows your emotional response to
the story as a whole. Once finished, share your artwork with the class, telling the story of what you chose to create,
how you created it and why you made the choices that you did.
• Go for a bush walk in your local area. What native plants and animals can you see? Do you see any plants or animals
that also appear in the story? Choose one of the creatures that appears in the book, and find out more about them.
Research where they live, what they eat and how they behave. If you find any stories featuring your chosen animal
from The Dreaming, share them with the class.
• Look carefully at the different patterns that appear in the illustrations of the book. For example, the pattern made
by the beetle crawling through the sand, the patterns in the beehive, and the patterns in the birds’ plumage, as well
as the pattern that the shadows of the leaves lay upon the land, and the patterns within the layers of soil beneath
the feet of the echidnas as they walk. Go for a walk through some local bushland, and try to spot as many different
patterns in nature as you can. When you return to class, create an artwork that uses some of these patterns and
share with the class both what your original inspiration was, how you spotted it, and why you chose this pattern to
share.
• What did you learn from Our Dreaming? As a class, discuss all the things that you personally learnt from the story,
as well as the things that other people reading it in other places might have learnt. Choose one of these things and
write a brief description of what it is, and why you think it is an important thing to learn and teach. Illustrate your
description with a picture inspired by the artwork within the book.

Copyright 2022 © Scholastic Australia Pty Limited.

2
Magabala Books Teacher Notes
Prepared by Christina Wheeler

Returning
written by Kirli Saunders

OVERVIEW
Returning is a stunning work – a poetic and visual feast that takes you on Kirli’s journey
of rediscovering self, Country and Connection. Kirli’s heartfelt experiences address
large contemporary themes of decolonisation, self-determination, Identity, First Nations
matriarchy, queerness, justice, love, liberation, and truth-telling. The backdrop to Returning
is a time of huge upheaval with natural disasters, COVID and the Black Lives Matter
Movement.
Each poem is accompanied by evocative and poignant artwork that was created in response
to its poem and vitalises its meaning. The artworks, visual poems, were originally shown at
SHAC Gallery, Gundungurra land, in 2021 in the exhibition named Returning.
Kirli’s multidisciplinary artworks span across a range of mediums and displays, including but
not limited to water colour, ink on hand-dyed silk, synthesising digital imagery with text,
and installations of hand-crafted possum skin cloaks and weavings.
Returning was developed with consultation and guidance from First Nations Elders,
Custodians, academics and artists.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR & ILLUSTRATOR

Kirli Saunders (OAM) is a proud Gunai woman and an award-winning author,
multidisciplinary and advocate for the environment and equality, Kirli was the NSW
Aboriginal Woman of the Year (2020). In 2022, she was awarded an Order of Australia
Medal for her contribution to the arts, particularly literature. Her other books include The
Incredible Freedom Machines (2018), Kindred (2019), Bindi (2020) and Our Dreaming (2022).

THEMES
• First Nations Peoples • Matriarchy
• First Nations Languages (Gundungurra, • Identity; Queerness; Acceptance
Dharawal, Gumea Dharawal, Dhurga) • Justice
• Decolonisation • Blak Joy
• Self-determination • Love
• Truth-telling • Freedom

WRITING SYLE
Described by Kirli Saunders as ‘an experimental, blak and queer visual poetry collection’,
Returning is a compilation of poetic arts combining free-verse poetry and visual responses
to these works. It explores themes of identity, love, and acceptance against the backdrop
of truth-telling, justice, decolonisation and identity. Contemporary yet embedded in
ancestral teachings and knowledge, readers are invited to share Kirli Saunders’ journey as
she reflects, discovers, and connects with Country, culture, language, kin, and her truer
self. As such, Saunders’ perspective renders Returning an especially personal and evocative
text that shares her experiences of isolation, coming out and cultural learning, and the
empowerment that comes with self-realisation. Due to its subject matter, it is best suited
to a young adult audience.

© Magabala Books Returning written by Kirli Saunders • Teacher Notes 1/8

LINKS TO THE AUSTRALIAN CURRICULUM
These notes have been written in context with the Australian Curriculum.
Learning area Year level
English 7-12
History 7; 9-10
The appendix highlights relevant cross-curriculum priorities and content descriptors across a range of year levels that the
following activities address.

CLASSROOM IDEAS

• Returning is a collection of poetry and artworks shared in

▷ What is the connection being made in this poem
four parts: Ochre + Eco Glitter, Kin + Country, Rage + Grace
between Mother Earth, climate degradation and the
and Healing. As you read, record the overarching themes
rights and status of women?
and contexts of each section. Why do you think the text
▷ How is this a poem of strength, not weakness?
has been structured in this way?
• After reading the Foreword, discuss the context, process, • Brave
and journey that Kirli Saunders underwent when creating ▷ Create a mind map that unpacks each of the elements
Returning. Which of these do you relate to? Share in a thanked in this poem. Why are they being thanked?
journal entry. ▷ Discuss the last stanza in Brave. Explain in your own
• Unpack Kirli Saunders’ Acknowledgment of Country at the words what Kirli Saunders means.
start of the text. What connections to Mother Earth and ▷ How does this poem pay homage to people and
Old People does she make? How does it compare with principles from the past, present and future?
your school’s Acknowledgement of Country?
• You can’t pray the Gay out of me
• Throughout the text:
▷ Discuss the use of language such as ‘glimmer’, ‘glitter’,
▷ Discuss the use of text features such as formatting, line ‘rainbow sequins’ and ‘shimmer’ to share the point
breaks, spacing, italics and bold font in helping to create of this poem. How does this fit more broadly into the
meaning essence of Returning?
▷ Consider how the artworks and poetry respond to one ▷ What is the importance of ‘Grandfather Sun’ giving a
another ‘blessing of his own’? How do we know the value of this
▷ Discuss how First Nations language/s enhance the text to the poet?
▷ Discuss the significance of the titles for each section ▷ What statement is being made about the Church’s
and poem affiliation with heteronormativity?
▷ Articulate the main point or purpose of each piece • We are Marching Because
▷ Explore the use of literary devices in connecting with ▷ In pairs, perform this piece as slam poetry. (View
audiences examples of slam poetry such as https://www.youtube.
▷ Explore the role of the matriarchy in First Nations com/watch?v=tv00xjClbx0)
cultures ▷ How does the artwork on p14 reflect this poem? Write a

Ochre + Eco Glitter reflection or create your own artwork in response to this
poem.
• title|Tidal
• A catalogue of the times I’ve come out so far
▷ What is meant by ‘Oscillating between channels’? Why
might viewers do this? How is this a metaphor for denial ▷ How does this poem share Kirli Saunders’ experiences of

of things like climate change and the victimisation of coming out?

women? Use evidence from the poem to support your ▷ Compare this poem with selected excerpts from the
thinking. teen graphic novel Heartstopper by Alice Oseman. Why
▷ What is meant by the line, ‘here, they gaslight the sky’? are texts like these so important?

▷ What is the difference between ‘title’ and ‘tidal’? Why • Mate You’re Standing on Stolen Land
has ‘title’ been crossed out? ▷ With reference to the sentiments of Tuck and Ree,

▷ What connection is being made between nature and discuss the ‘decolonisation metaphor’ in this poem.
women in this text? ▷ What is the significance of the ‘cop [sighing] audibly’ at

▷ If Ngurra could speak, what would she say? the end of the poem?

© Magabala Books Returning written by Kirli Saunders • Teacher Notes 2/8

• Wallflowers and Evergreens • Gugubara | Jerra | Guudhaa
▷ How is the colour blue used to reflect the poet’s ▷ Explain the connection between the sun, moon, stars,
thoughts and emotions? and kookaburras as shared in this poem.
▷ Discuss the contrast between the fragility and strength ▷ Why does the poet ‘wonder about this/ grounded
of the natural world as portrayed in this poem. luminosity’?
▷ How does this poem effectively share First Nations’ use • Kinship Country
of nature to mark seasons? ▷ How does the poet feel about the desert Country? How
▷ What parallels are drawn between the sterility of do we know?
westernised clocks and calendars to gauge time and the ▷ What surprises you about the life of this Country?
‘falsity/ for appearances’ of ‘plastic plants’? What point
▷ Discuss the shapes of the words throughout the poem.
in the poet making through this comparison?
How do these add meaning?
▷ What is meant by the ‘tree/ that releases/ its seeds/
• Calls to Home
after it/ burns’? How does this show the importance of
▷ Describe the relationship between mother and child in
vulnerability and regrowth? How is this reflected in the
artwork on pp 28-29? this poem.
▷ What can you take from this poem when reminded that
• Yadingli
‘it is safe to cry/ that these are signs of new life - / new
▷ How does this poem share the importance of Country,
chapters’?
kin, Mother Earth, knowledge, and language to First
▷ What is your favourite verse in this poem? Why? Which
Nations cultures?
do you most relate to? Share with a friend.
▷ What other aspects of life are shown respect and
appreciation in this piece? • The Falls Trail

▷ Thinking about your own culture and family, write a ▷ What is it that has helped the poet to ‘tread a little

poem of appreciation and gratitude. lighter’? How does her relationship with her father allow
this to happen?
• First Kiss
▷ Write and illustrate a poem to express the special
▷ Discuss the empowerment in ‘unsubscribing from/
relationship you share with a loved one.
skewed world views’. How can you better achieve this?
• Sacred Women Ways
• Sacred
▷ What are ‘sacred women ways’? How do they shape
▷ Create a list of similes that reflects how you would like
future generations of women?
to be held ‘sacred’.
• Black is Beautiful
• Go Rogue
▷ Discuss the contrast occurring on the left- and right-
▷ To what is the poet referring when she says, ‘let them
hand columns of this text.
go’?
▷ What point is this poem making?
▷ How does this poem share the importance of Country to
First Nations peoples? How does Country help to heal? ▷ Create your own contrast poem that juxtaposes the
media’s definition of beauty with yours.
▷ In this piece, the poet disconnects herself from her
phone and therefore her digital self. How is this • Sea Eagles
liberating? Try doing likewise. In a poem, reflection, ▷ In what ways is the poet like a fledgling? What lessons
or other creative piece, share the the impact of ‘going can she learn from these creatures?
rogue’ on your wellbeing. • Blooming
Kin + Country ▷ How is the poet like her totem, the waratah? What
• Ngurragu Dhadjam and Come Home Soon strength does she take from it?
▷ Why has this poem been shared in Gumea Dharawal • Aftermath
language first? ▷ Discuss the metaphor being used in this poem. What
▷ How does the artwork reflect the mood and message of does it symbolise? Why is this a powerful way to share
the poem? the subject matter of the poem?
▷ How does this poem make you feel when you read it? • Messengers
Why? ▷ Discuss the imagery used in this poem. Why is it so
▷ In your own words, explain what is being expressed in effective?
this piece. • Sky Lessons
▷ What is the relationship between Country and the poet? ▷ In what ways is the poet like the sky? Why is she
Use evidence from the text to support your ideas. comparing herself to Father Sky?
▷ How does this show the connection between First
Nations Peoples and nature?

© Magabala Books Returning written by Kirli Saunders • Teacher Notes 3/8

• When She’s Gone • The System
▷ How does this poem share a journey of grief, love, and ▷ Explain the injustices the poet is protesting about in this
resilience? poem.
• They Sung Us ▷ What in the significance of the ants in the artworks
accompanying this poem?
▷ How does this poem explore the power of Songlines in
First Nations cultures? • Vinegar and Bicarb
• Sewing Hands ▷ Why is this poem so powerful? What is it alluding to?

▷ What can we learn about the relationship between ▷ How is imagery and visualisation used to effect?
grandparent and grandchild from this poem? Use • Gubinge
evidence from the text to support your thinking. ▷ How does this poem show hardships faced, but also
▷ What shared experiences with your grandmothers have knowledge that can be gained?
helped shape your identity? • W/e/l/c/o/m/e
▷ How are relationships with grandparents different from ▷ How does the Kite’s invitation and welcome help the
those with parents? poet to learn and grow?
• Garring|Possum Skin Cloak ▷ The poet talks about ‘leaning into the knowing’. What
▷ Discuss the use of dashes to replicate sewing stitches. does she mean? Where does this knowing come from?
▷ What role do Aunties play in the raising of girls in First How is it represented?
Nations cultures? • Aunty time
▷ How are ancient customs integrated into everyday First ▷ How, in the role of Aunty, does the poet teach her
Nations practices? nephew? What is she sharing with him?
▷ Find out more about the importance of possum cloaks ▷ How does this poem show the interconnectedness
to First Nations Peoples. How and why are they added between songlines, Country, Mother Nature, and a sense
to over time? of identity and belonging?
▷ What else occurs as the possum cloaks are sewn? • 21st Century Custodians and Community Possum Skin
• Bundjalong to Gadigal – A Love Poem Cloak
▷ How do we know how the poet feels about her ▷ How do the above two poems work together to show
homecoming? the frustration, exhaustion, action, and commitment
of First Nations Peoples? What is the significance of a
▷ Discuss the use of imagery in this piece. How does it
week spent creating the possum skin cloak?
help you to visualise?
Healing
Rage + Grace
• You Will Never Cry Alone and Eucalyptus Euphemism
• Black Cars
▷ How do these poems show the importance of family and
▷ What is this poem about? What do you know about the
love?
policies of this time?
• Appearances
▷ How is strength and courage drawn from culture to ward
off the black cars? ▷ What is the poet suggesting by saying ‘we have never
seen our own faces’?
▷ Use Trina Saffioti’s picture book Stolen Girl as a
companion text to this poem. • Messages from the Mat and Butcher Bird Poem
• Yabun ▷ How does Yoga and meditation help the poet to heal?

▷ What do we learn about First Nations cultures from this • A reminder

poem. How does it show connections between Country, ▷ From where does the poet draw strength in this poem?
ancestors, ceremony, dance, and First Nations Peoples? ▷ How does this poem help you?
• #realtalk • We see better with Eyes Closed
▷ Break down each of the verses in this poem that refer to ▷ How do the Old People help to calm the poet when she
the injustices experienced because of racist policies and feels unsure?
attitudes in the settler-colony. In small groups, find out
▷ Discuss the notion that it is better to see with ‘eyes
more about these issues and present summaries to the
sealed’. What does this mean?
class. Alternatively, once finding out more, create your
own poems and artworks spotlighting these injustices • Healers
more explicitly. ▷ Discuss the recurring motif of the Ancestors showing
▷ How is repetition used in this poem to give impact? the way and helping the healing. What does this reveal
about the interconnectedness between the Old People
▷ Discuss the use of the single word lines – omitting,
and First Nations’ wellness?
forgetting, ignoring, disregarding, neglecting – to
emphasise these injustices and their consequences.

© Magabala Books Returning written by Kirli Saunders • Teacher Notes 4/8

• Cleva After finishing the text:
▷ What relationship does the poet share with her brother? • Choose a collection of poems from Returning to use in a
How do we know? How does he help her? discussion about the importance of matriarchs in the text.
• Adore – a found poem • Kirli Saunders’ voice is instantly arresting, drawing readers
▷ Create your own version of this poem by listing the into the text with her rhythmic and evocative language
things that bring you joy. Elaborate on your ideas choices. Discuss the importance of a strong sense of voice
through precise use of imagery and vocabulary. in writing. How has this been achieved?

• Sun Downs and Seasons • Returning goes to great lengths to emphasise the central
place of country and Mother Earth to indigenous culture.
▷ How is the poet’s healing and returning to her truer self
As you read the text, keep note of the many ways in
symbolised through the deciduous trees
which the poet expresses this. Write a reflection to share
‘Losing
the interconnectedness that First Nations people have
\lea|ves/’
with Country, identity and culture.
and the laying down of
‘deep • Discuss the power of free verse poetry in creating
roots’? evocative and tangible messages. Experiment with writing
Why can she now see her scars as ‘sacred’? How does your own free verse poetry.
this poem capture the essence of this collection? • As a class, create your own visual poetry art exhibition
▷ How is time shown to be a wonderful healer? Why is that reflects your own ‘returning to a truer self’.
moving from the comfort of the shady canopy a helpful • Discuss the aesthetic and social value of texts such as
thing? Returning.
• Oneness • How does Returning reveal a culture that is holistic in its
▷ How is loneliness superseded by oneness? What is the beliefs and customs
difference? • Which is your favourite piece in Returning? Write a
▷ Why has this poem been placed last in the collection? reflection that shares the connection you have with it.
What does it share about the journey the poet has • Evaluate the social, moral and ethical positions presented
been on? in Returning.

READING LIST
Several of the poems in this collection respond to the work of thought leaders, academics, artists, filmmakers, musicians
and writers whose studies, essays, poems, podcasts and films have grounded and expanded my thoughts and process in
recent years, including those below. If there are any I have forgotten to name, please know it is not for their lack of impact:
• Adrienne Maree Brown, black joy, April 8th 2018, http://adriennemareebrown.net/2017/04/08/black-joy/
• Adrienne Maree Brown, this is not justice, this is respite, April 20th 2021, https://adriennemareebrown.net/2021/04/20/this-
is-not-justice-this-is-respite/
• Alexis Wright, Grog War, Magabala Books 1997
• Ali Cobby Eckermann, Ruby Moonlight, Magabala Books 2012
• Alison Whittaker (Ed.) Fire Front: First Nations poetry and power today, University of Queensland Press, 2020
• Alison Whittaker, blakwork, Magabala Books 2018
• Alok Vaid-Menon, Beyond the Gender Binary, Penguin Random House, 2020
• Aman Sium, Chandni Desai and Eric Ritskes, Towards the ‘tangible unknown’ - Decolonization and the Indigenous future.
In Decolonization: Indigeneity, Education and Society Vol. 1 No. 1 2012, https://jps.library.utoronto.ca/index.php/des/article/
view/18638
• Uncle Archie Roach, Charcoal Lane, Mushroom Records
• Candy Bowers, What is Decolonisation?, Big world close up, Arts Centre Melbourne August 21st 2018, https://artsreview.
com.au/big-world-up-close-at-arts-centre-melbourne/
• Casino Wake Up Time artists Auntie Janelle Duncan, Auntie Margaret Torrens, Theresa Bolt and Kylie Caldwell, Water
Lesson: Three 23rd Sydney Biennale 2022, https://www.biennaleofsydney.art/resources/water-lesson-three-casino-wake-
up-time/
• Dr Chelsea Watego, Another Day in the Colony, University of Queensland Press 2021
• Claire G Coleman, This is not about Grog, It’s about depression, hopelessness and failed government. The Guardian
Australia January 19th 2019, https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/jan/20/this-is-not-about-grog-its-about-
depression-hopelessness-and-failed-government
• Claire G Coleman, Terra Nullius, Hachette 2017

© Magabala Books Returning written by Kirli Saunders • Teacher Notes 5/8

• David Stavanger & Anne-Marie Te Whiu (Ed.), Solid Air: Australian and New Zealand spoken word, University of Queensland
Press 2019
• Elfie Shiosaki, Homecoming, Magabala Books 2021
• Elisa Jane Carmichael, Waking Up Indigenous Weaving Practices, Art Work, ABC News, September 12th 2021 https://www.
youtube.com/watch?v=sF4R105zg2I
• Ellen van Neerven (Ed.), Homeland Calling: Words from a New Generation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voices,
Hardie Grant Explore 2020
• Ellen van Neerven, Throat, University of Queensland Press 2020
• Emily Wurramara, Milyakburra. Wontok Music 2018, https://emilywurramara.bandcamp.com/album/milyakburra
• Eve Tuck and E. Wayne Yang, Decolonization is not a metaphor in Decolonization: Indigeneity, Education & Society Vol. 1,
No. 1, 2012, pages 1-40 https://clas.osu.edu/sites/clas.osu.edu/files/Tuck%20and%20Yang%202012%20Decolonization%20
is%20not%20a%20metaphor.pdf
• Eve Tuck, Suspending Damage: A letter to communities in Harvard Educational Review Vol. 79 No. 3 Fall 2009 pages
409-429, https://pages.ucsd.edu/~rfrank/class_web/ES-114A/Week%204/TuckHEdR79-3.pdf
• Eve Tuck and C. Ree, A glossary of haunting in Stacey Holman Jones, Tony Adams and Carolyn Ellis (Eds.) Handbook of
autoethnography, Left Coast Press 2013 pages 639–658
• Evelyn Araluen, Dropbear, University of Queensland Press 2021
• Genevieve Grieves, First Nations perspectives on art, gender and feminism (Keynote Presentation) Know my name
conference, National Gallery of Australia November 2020, https://vimeo.com/493607912
• Genevieve Grieves, First People First. Keynote presentation, Fair Play Symposium. Diversity Arts Australia February
25th 2019, https://www.artshub.com.au/news/features/20x20-facing-the-truth-we-remain-a-colonised-
country-261412-2369063/
• Genevieve Grieves, Wesley Shaw and Georgia Mokak. Episode 44: Genevieve Grieves NAVA podcast, https://visualarts.net.
au/podcasts/episode-44-genevieve-grieves/
• Genevieve Grieves and Dr Lilly Brown in conversation with Kirli Saunders, Radical hope in the face of dehumanisation,
creating a collective future, Griffith Review 76, 2022, https://www.griffithreview.com/articles/radical-hope-in-the-face-of-
dehumanisation/
• Jarrett Martineau (2015) Creative Combat: Indigenous Art, Resurgence & Decolonisation, Ph.D Thesis University of Victoria
Canada, https://dspace.library.uvic.ca/handle/1828/6702
• Jarrett Martineau and Erik Ritskes, Fugitive indigeneity Reclaiming the terrain of decolonial struggle through indigenous
art, In Decolonization: Indigeneity, education and society, Vol. 3 no. 1 2014. Pages i-xii
• Dr Jeanine Leane (Ed.) Guwayu - for all times, Magabala Books, 2020
• Kimberlé Crenshaw and Patricia Shulz, Intersectionality in promoting equality, The equal rights review, Vol. 16 2016. Pages
205-219, https://www.equalrightstrust.org/ertdocumentbank/Intersectionality%20interview%20with%20Kimberle%20
Crenshaw%20and%20patricia%20schulz.pdf
• Leanne Simpson, Dancing on Our Turtle’s Back, Stories of Nishnaabeg Re-Creation, Resurgence, and a New Emergence,
ARP Books 2011
• Leanne Simpson. Endlessly creating our indigenous selves, In As We Have Always Done: Indigenous Freedom through
Radical Resistance, University of Minnesota Press, 2017, pp. 83–94.
• Leanne Simpson, Land as pedagogy: Nishnaabeg intelligence and rebellious transformation, Decolonization: Indigeneity,
education and society Vol. 3 no. 3 2014 pages 1-25, https://jps.library.utoronto.ca/index.php/des/article/view/22170 OR
http://whereareyouquetzalcoatl.com/mesofigurineproject/EthnicAndIndigenousStudiesArticles/Simpson2014.pdf
• Ligia Licho López and Gioconda Coello, Brown, Red, and Black to the Futures, In Indigenous futures and learning taking
place, Routledge 2020
• Dr Lilly Brown, The discovery of Indigenous children’s bodies in Canada is horrific, but Australia has similar tragedies it’s
yet to reckon with. The Conversation, July 30th 2021, https://theconversation.com/the-discovery-of-indigenous-childrens-
bodies-in-canada-is-horrific-but-australia-has-similar-tragedies-its-yet-to-reckon-with-164706
• Dr Lilly Brown, Why we need to educate journalists about Aboriginal women’s experience of family violence. The
Conversation, November 25th 2016, https://theconversation.com/why-we-need-to-educate-journalists-about-aboriginal-
womens-experience-of-family-violence-65789
• Dr Lilly Brown (2021), Unsettling conceptions of Indigenous youth, reimagining the future: Beyond a problem for education
and criminal justice, Ph.D Thesis University of Melbourne

© Magabala Books Returning written by Kirli Saunders • Teacher Notes 6/8

• Dr Lilly Brown, Latoya Rule, Natalie Ironfield. Incarceration Nation exposes the racist foundations of policing and
imprisonment in Australia, but at what cost? The Conversation, August 30th 2021, https://theconversation.com/
incarceration-nation-exposes-the-racist-foundations-of-policing-and-imprisonment-in-australia-but-at-what-
cost-165951
• Linda Martin and Elfie Shiosaki (Eds.), maar bidi: next generation black writers, Magabala Books 2020
• Poka Laenui, (Hayden F. Burgess) Processes of Decolonization in Marie Barriste (Ed.) Reclaiming Indigenous Voice and
Vision. Marie Vancouver, BC: UBC Press, 2000, Pages 150-160.
• Marcia Langton, Ancient Sovereignty: Representing 65,000 Years of Ancestral Links to Land, In Brook Andrew, NIRIN: 22nd
Biennale of Sydney, 2020. Exhibition catalogue. Pages 64–73.
• Maya Newell (Dir.), In My Blood It Runs, Closer Productions, 2019
• Miiesha, Nyaaringyu, EMI Australia
• Melissa Lucashenko, Too Much Lip, University of Queensland Press 2018
• Nakkiah Lui, Fourth wave Feminism, Sydney Opera House Talks and Ideas March 4th 2018, https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=llbCCC6vsdU&list=PLmDdeUon_LPWfB3J4bBh9RfDEMJkiA0Rt&index=2
• Nardi Simpson, Gifts across space and time, Griffith Review 71, 2021, https://www.griffithreview.com/articles/gifts-across-
space-and-time/
• Nardi Simpson, Song of the Crocodile, Hachette Australia 2020
• Robyn Heckenberg & Mary O’Dowd, Explainer: What is Decolonisation. The Conversation June 23rd 2020, https://
theconversation.com/explainer-what-is-decolonisation-131455
• Ross Gay, The Book of Delights, Algonquin Books, 2019
• Ross Gay, Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude. University of Pittsburgh Press, 2015, https://www.poetryfoundation.org/
poems/58762/catalog-of-unabashed-gratitude
• Sasha Sarago, Pretty Hurts: It’s Time to Decolonise Beauty, TEDx Sydney 16th December 2020, https://www.ted.com/talks/
sasha_sarago_pretty_hurts_it_s_time_to_decolonise_beauty
• Sonya Renee Taylor, The Body Is Not An Apology: The Power of Radical Self-Love, Berrett-Koehler 2018
• Tara June Winch, The Yield, Penguin Australia 2021
• Tema Okun, Divorcing White Supremacy Culture ~ Coming Home to Who We Really Are, https://www.
whitesupremacyculture.info/
• Teela Reid, The power of the First Nations Matriarchy, Griffith Review 76, 2022, https://www.griffithreview.com/articles/
the-power-of-the-first-nations-matriarchy/
• Tiffany Lethabo King (2013) In The Clearing: Black Female Bodies, Space and Settler Colonial Landscapes, Ph.D Thesis,
University of Maryland, https://api.drum.lib.umd.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/76eff28b-5a87-4a73-8581-9b21672063b1/
content
• Todd Fernando, A Desire to Flourish: The Social and Cultural Factors Shaping the Health and Identity of Queer Indigenous
Australians, Ph.D Thesis (unpublished), University of Melbourne 2022
• Dr Tony Birch, The White Girl, University of Queensland Press 2020
• Dr Tony Birch, Dark as Last Night, University of Queensland Press 2021
• Dr Tony Birch, Whisper Songs, University of Queensland Press 2021
• Dr Vicki Couzens, Possum skin cloaks then and now – same same but different, Australian Museum 26th May 2020,
https://australian.museum/learn/first-nations/possum-skin-cloaks-then-and-now/
• We Can We Do: Aunty Connie Hart Breaks all the rules to keep tradition alive, ABC News. July 9th 2018, https://www.
youtube.com/watch?v=RTf_k-uS6Sc
• Ziggy Ramo, Black Thoughts, Ramo Records 2020

© Magabala Books Returning written by Kirli Saunders • Teacher Notes 7/8

Year Curriculum Area

7 English - Literature
AC9E7LE01 identify and explore ideas, points of view, characters, events and/or issues in literary texts, drawn from
historical, social and/or cultural contexts, by First Nations Australian, and wide-ranging Australian and world authors
AC9E7LE04 discuss the aesthetic and social value of literary texts using relevant and appropriate metalanguage
AC9E7LE06 identify and explain how literary devices create layers of meaning in texts including poetry
AC9E7LE07 create and edit literary texts that experiment with language features and literary devices encountered
in texts

History
AC9HH7K03 how First Nations Australians are the world’s oldest continuing cultures, displaying evidence of both
continuity and change over deep time
AC9HH7K06 the social organisation and cultural practices of early First Nations Australians, and their continuity and
change over time

8 English - Literature
AC9E8LE01 explain the ways that ideas and points of view may represent the values of individuals and groups
in literary texts, drawn from historical, social and cultural contexts, by First Nations Australian, and wide-ranging
Australian and world authors
AC9E8LE02 share opinions about the language features, literary devices and text structures that contribute to
the styles of literary texts
AC9E8LE05 analyse how language features such as sentence patterns create tone, and literary devices such
as imagery create meaning and effect
AC9E8LE06 create and edit literary texts that experiment with language features and literary devices for
particular purposes and effects

9 English - Literature
AC9E9LE01 analyse the representations of people and places in literary texts, drawn from historical, social and
cultural contexts, by First Nations Australian, and wide-ranging Australian and world authors
AC9E9LE02 present a personal response to a literary text comparing initial impressions and subsequent analysis of
the whole text
AC9E9LE04 analyse texts and evaluate the aesthetic qualities and appeal of an author’s literary style
AC9E9LE05 analyse the effect of text structures, language features and literary devices such as
extended metaphor, metonymy, allegory, symbolism and intertextual references

History
AC9HH9K03 the causes and effects of European contact and extension of settlement, including their impact on the
First Nations Peoples of Australia

10 English - Literature
AC9E10LE01 analyse representations of individuals, groups and places and evaluate how they reflect
their context in literary texts by First Nations Australian, and wide-ranging Australian and world authors
AC9E10LE03 analyse how the aesthetic qualities associated with text structures, language features, literary
devices and visual features, and the context in which these texts are experienced, influence audience response
AC9E10LE04 evaluate the social, moral or ethical positions represented in literature
AC9E10LE05 analyse how text structure, language features, literary devices and intertextual connections shape
interpretations of texts
AC9E10LE06 compare and evaluate how “voice” as a literary device is used in different types of texts, such as
poetry, novels and film, to evoke emotional responses
AC9E10LE07 analyse and evaluate the aesthetic qualities of texts
AC9E10LE08 create and edit literary texts with a sustained “voice”, selecting and adapting text structures, literary
devices, and language, auditory and visual features for purposes and audiences

History
AC9HH10K09 the causes of First Nations Australians’ campaigns for rights and freedoms before 1965, such as
discriminatory legislation and policies, the 1938 Day of Mourning and the Stolen Generations
AC9HH10K13 the continuing efforts to create change in the civil rights and freedoms in Australia, for First Nations
Australians, migrants and women
Cross-Curriculum Priorities
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and culture

© Magabala Books Returning written by Kirli Saunders • Teacher Notes 8/8

SCHOLASTIC TEACHING NOTES THE LAND RECALLS YOU

The Land Recalls You

AUTHOR
KIRLI SAUNDERS
ILLUSTRATORS
DAVID CRAGG AND NONI CRAGG

SCIS: 5487523
ISBN: 9781760975159
RECOMMENDED FOR: Lower to Mid Primary

SYNOPSIS
Do not mourn the hands that raised you . . .
Do not weep for songs of land.

Honouring the Stolen Generations, and all who’ve been taken, The Land Recalls You is a powerful story of returning,
written with love and reverence by award-winning Gunai author Kirli Saunders (OAM) and illustrated by debut
Bundjalung artists David and Noni Cragg.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kirli Saunders OAM is a proud Gunai Woman, and award-winning multidisciplinary creator and consultant. An
experienced speaker and facilitator advocating for the environment, gender and racial equality and LGBTIQA+ rights, Kirli
was named the NSW Aboriginal Woman of the Year in 2020, and received an Order of Australia Medal in 2022.

ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATORS

David Cragg is a multidisciplinary Bundjalung artist, working in Dharawhal Country. He has exhibited painted works,
murals, public installations and performed live art. Cragg’s works often explore the effects humans have on Country
through contrasting sweeping landscapes of Australian bush with industrial elements.

Noni Cragg is a Bundjalung portrait artist inspired by culture, colour and people. She has a BFA in Painting from The
National Art School, Darlinghurst, and has worked as a Gallery director; a Life Drawing co-host for Gladdy Drawing Club;
and has exhibited work at Ambush Gallery, Backwoods Gallery, China Heights Gallery and more.

STUDY NOTES
• Before reading the story, as a class, discuss the book cover and title. Some things to include in your discussion could
be:
◦ What can you see happening on the cover of this book? (Open it out so you can see the back and the front cover
as one picture)
◦ What does it mean when we say someone or something ‘recalls’ us?
◦ What might The Land Recalls You mean? Why do you think this?
◦ What do you think this story might be about?
◦ Read the text on the back cover. Does this change your hypothesis about what the story might be sharing with us?
1
SCHOLASTIC TEACHING NOTES THE LAND RECALLS YOU

• As a class, watch a movie about the Stolen Generations. After watching the movie, discuss what you learnt about
the practice of taking Indigenous children from their families, and the impact on individuals, their families, and their
communities. Reread The Land Recalls You, and as a class, discuss what the impact of a story like this might be on
some of the different characters from the movie.
• Who is the ‘you’ in the title of this story? Read the Author’s dedication and reread the story. Does having read the
dedication change your understanding of what is happening in this story? If so, why and in what ways?
• For many years, the Stolen Generations were not talked about by white Australians, what had happened was not
taught in schools, and the government refused to apologise for the trauma, cultural dislocation, and inhumanity of
the practice. Why do you think that the government-sanctioned and sponsored practice of taking children from their
families was ignored, covered up and denied for so long? Why were non-indigenous Australian children brought up in
ignorance of what the government had done, and was continuing to do, to Indigenous families?
• Why is National Sorry Day so important? As a class, discuss what you know of National Sorry Day, when it was first
held, what happens in the week following, and how you personally can contribute to community awareness of
National Sorry Day and its importance to all Australians.
• In small groups, research the Stolen Generations online, in the library or in the local community. Once you have
completed your research, create a fact sheet sharing your findings. Include at least three quotes on the topic from
people who were directly affected either as members of the Stolen Generations, or as their direct descendants.
Some other things you should aim to discover in the course of your research are:
◦ Who are the Stolen Generations?
◦ When were the Stolen Generations taken?
◦ How long did the practice of stealing children from their families continue?
◦ Who stole the children?
◦ What were some of the rationalisations for stealing children that were used by the policy-makers in charge of
establishing the practice of stealing children?
◦ Where did the stolen children go?
◦ What happened to the stolen children?
◦ In what ways were the stolen children’s lives damaged by being stolen?
◦ Why could the families not get their children back?
◦ Why could many of the children not return to their families once they reached adulthood?
◦ What was the long-term multi-generational impact on Indigenous communities?
◦ What was the long-term individual impact on individuals who were stolen?
▫ Discuss what you discovered from your research. How do you think the children must have felt when they
were taken? How did being stolen from family and taken far away from country often lead to them feeling
isolated, lost and alone, with no knowledge of how or where to return? How have they lost knowledge of the
cultural and spiritual practices of their ancestors and families?
• After completing your research on the Stolen Generations, National Sorry Day, and Reconciliation Week, reread The
Land Recalls You, including the author’s dedication. How does rereading the story feel now? Discuss whether you
were impacted by the language and artwork within this story differently now, in comparison to when you first read it.
Share with your class your personal response to this story, whether it has changed since your first reading, and if so
how and why.
• Individually, write a reflection on The Land Recalls You discussing the impact of the artwork and prose on you
personally. Include specific descriptions of your emotional response to at least three different pages. Discuss how
each particular passage made you feel, and attempt to analyse why you think you felt that way.
• Create a painting or other artwork inspired by your emotional response to the illustrations and words of The Land
Recalls You.
• Why do you think the children being addressed in this story are being told not to weep or mourn?
• If you had to put the message of this story into one sentence, what would it be?
• Go on a slow and thoughtful walk through local bushland or a local nature reserve. While on your walk, look closely
at the details of the land, the animals, and the plants, birds, and insects that surround you. Listen carefully to all the
2
SCHOLASTIC TEACHING NOTES THE LAND RECALLS YOU

different sounds you can hear, and try to describe the different scents that you encounter. Take photos of anything
that catches your eye, to help you recall the details, and take notes to remind you of what you were taking in with
your other senses at the time.
◦ When you return to class, use the artwork in the story as well as your photographs and recollections of what you
saw on your walk to help you create a painting that captures the essence of the natural environment where you
live. Caption your artwork with a brief (one or two paragraph) description of how being surrounded by the natural
environment local to you made you feel.

AUTHOR OF NOTES
RAE CARLYLE

Copyright 2024 © Scholastic Australia Pty Limited. 3