Adam Goodes and Ellie Laing (text) and David Hardy (illustrator), Back on Country, Allen & Unwin, November 2022, RRP $24.99 (hbk), ISBN 9781761065088
Back on Country is the third book in the successful Welcome to Our Country series. The first in the series, Somebody’s Land debuted at no.2 in the picture-book market and won the ABIA Children’s Book of the Year in 2022. Somebody’s Land was then followed by the second book, Ceremony which celebrated the rich traditions of indigenous dance, family, and community.
In this the third of the series, writer and well-known sportsperson Adam Goodes, an Adnyamathanha and Narungga man, has collaborated with Barkindji man David Hardy and communications professional Ellie Laing to create a book about connection; being in a quieter place, away from the modern world of cities and highways, to connect with land and family.
In Back on Country, children Lucy and David are being taken to the outback of Australia by their mum to see their nanna and extended family. It is important for them to understand the uniqueness of the land upon which their family belongs. On arrival, the family are greeted with great exuberance—singing, music and the embrace of those so loved.
Over the next few days of adventure with their cousins, as well as the quiet times listening to the Elders, the children taste bush tucker, see new and unusual desert animals, and gain knowledge of traditions and the ancestors. The family comes to understand the map of the stars, the ways of their people and the totems that guide them within the great southern sky.
Back on Country is set in the remote silence of the Flinders Ranges of South Australia; land of the Adnyamathanha people of which Goodes belongs. Goodes and Hardy remember being taken back to Country by their mothers at differing times of their lives, and the impact of the lived experience of kinship, their renewed connection to the indigenous culture and learning from the Elders.
It is a delight to welcome the release of Book #3, Back on Country which celebrates the power of family, the importance of one’s own cultural traditions and the innate connection to Country. This beautifully illustrated and presented picture book holds a story that is unique as well as engaging. There is a quietness here within which we can all learn of the indigenous culture that has nurtured this land for over 40,000 years.
Back on Country is written simply for young children, and will be enjoyed across all ages.
Reviewed by Jennifer Mors
