A review by lmurray74
Stradbroke Dreamtime by Oodgeroo Noonuccal

5.0

Oodgeroo was an Aboriginal rights activist, poet, veteran, environmentalist and educator. Her father was a Quandamooka man and her mother was of the Peewee clan. In 1964 she became the first published Aboriginal poet in Australia. I highly recommend My People is a compilation of her poetry. Bronwyn Bancroft is a Bundjalung woman and artist. This book was first published in 1972 and its first illustrated edition was in 1993. "Stradbroke Dreaming" contains stories of growing up on Minjerribah (North Stradbroke Island) going crabbing and hunting and being left-handed in a school system that didn't allow it. There is a story about a carpet snake they had as a pet. Her mother didn't like the snake as it took eggs from the hens but it was her dad's totem, and her totem also, so they couldn't do anything to it. As well as stories of growing up there are 14 stories of the "Old and New Dreamtime". What is powerful in this is that we hear the stories of Oodgeroo as a girl, stories that are easy to relate to and that could be happening now. I find her stories more compelling than the "dreamtime" stories but having them in the same book gives us insight into Oodgeroo's storytelling in a couple of genres. The illustrations are vibrant and engaging. The edition I have has glossy pages all the way through and it's a delight to browse through.