Publisher's synopsis
The Girl from the Great Sandy Desert is the remarkable account of the life of Mana, a young Walmajarri girl and her family in the desert country of north-west Australia. A collection of accessible stories that elucidate the rich cultural lives of pre-contact Aboriginal Australians, this book is a valuable resource for educators and young readers, and is accompanied by beautiful black and white illustrations.
Awards
- Longlisted, 2016 Children’s Book Council of Australia Book of the Year Awards, Eve Pownall Award for Information Books
Jukuna Mona Chuguna (deceased) was a Walmajarri woman from the Great Sandy Desert in Western Australia. She left the desert with her husband in the 1950s to live and work on cattle and sheep stations in the Kimberley’s Fitzroy Valley. In middle age, Jukuna took up painting and became a well-regarded artist, holding exhibitions of her work around Australia and overseas. She was a natural teacher and great storyteller. She died in 2011.
Pat Lowe was born and grew up in England but dreamed of migrating to Australia, which she did in 1972. She worked as a teacher in Africa and as a prison psychologist in Australia, but writing has always been her passion. She met Jimmy Pike in 1979 and a few years later set up camp with him in the desert. What followed was a collaboration with Jimmy on a number of books. She also worked with Jukuna Mona Chuguna and Ngarta Jinny Bent on their stories. She now spends her time in Broome.
Desert Dog won the WA Premier’s Literary Award and was also a Children’s Book Council of Australia Notable Book.
Photo courtesy of Magabala Books
Mervyn Street is a Gooniyandi artist, from the Fitzroy River region of northern Western Australia. In his youth he worked as a stockman and later developed his artistic talents, producing many paintings, drawings and prints of station life. He now divides his time between drawing and painting at Mangkaja Arts in Fitzroy Crossing and teaching the Gooniyandi language at Yiyili School.
