Australian Kids through the Years (Tania McCartney, illus by Andrew Joyner, NLA)

Following the success of An Aussie Year, history-loving author Tania McCartney again portrays our multicultural nation in Australian Kids through the Years. Here, the changes to Australia are explored as life unfolds for young Australians across the centuries—from the early Aborigines to the arrival of the Europeans and the colonial and Federation eras, finishing with children of the 20th century and today. In each era we sample a scene of Australian life as it was for a particular boy and girl of the time. Text boxes and speech bubbles accumulate as time advances, providing snippets of information about typical attire, games, food, traditions, work, books, and societal and technological developments. The charming retro-style pictures by Andrew Joyner illustrate diversity respectfully and depict harmonious interactions between cultures. The book concludes with referenced images from the National Library of Australia’s collection. While it presents a broad-brush view of the population, Australian Kids through the Years is a valuable resource for studying history, culture and social sciences for early primary school readers. It is also a delightful book to peruse and reflect on for both young and old. 

Romi Sharp is a teacher, writer and reviewer