Linsie Tan, Australian States and Territories: Queensland, Redback Publishing, 1 Feb 2017, 32pp., $28.99 (hbk), ISBN: 9780994624734
Designed for the Australian curriculum, this text book for upper primary children about Queensland has a layout that is orderly yet visually interesting, incorporating photos, diagrams and post-it-note style overlays which provides information in manageable segments. Break-out-boxes ask readers questions to engage them and offer activity ideas to process and apply the information. A table of contents and glossary assist with navigating the chapters and text.
Unlike the text books of my childhood which included indigenous heritage as an afterthought at the back of the book, this book makes an effort to incorporate the ancient heritage of the indigenous people of Queensland at the top of each page. I would have liked, however, to have seen something about bush tucker and the impact of farming on biodiversity in the section on agriculture.
A lot of thought has gone into the detail of this book to make it visually appealing – from the purple dot patterned border running the length of each page (reminiscent of aboriginal dot art), to the page numbers nestled inside little outlines of Australia. Queensland is one of a series of books about the states and territories of Australia that would make a good addition to the school library.
Reviewed by Debra Tidball
