Djinang Bonar: Seeing Seasons (Ebony Froome, illus by Leanne Zilm, Fremantle)

Written by Wardandi Noongar woman Ebony Froome, Djinang Bonar: Seeing Seasons is a lyrical picture book describing the six seasons on Noongar country in Western Australia. It cleverly incorporates Noongar language throughout the text and has a lovely repetition, with each season beginning with ‘On Noongar boodja’ (meaning country), featuring a salmon, kangaroo, black swan, snake and emu, along with native plants, including wattle and banksia. The bold, vibrant illustrations are by Leanne Zilm, a Wudjari and Goreng Noongar woman who also illustrated Nedingar: Ancestors. Her acrylic paintings are stunning and work seamlessly with the text, providing contextual references for the animal or plant mentioned on each spread, such as the maamong (whale) swimming to warmer waters in Makuru season, or the noorn (snake) making tracks in Kambarang season. A QR code provides a link to hear the author read the story in Noongar language, and a glossary of Noongar terms is provided in the endnotes. I would have liked further information about how I could map these seasons to the Western calendar to assist in my understanding, but this is a small quibble. This stunning nature story beautifully portrays Noongar seasons and champions Noongar language. Suitable for ages 5–7, it is a poetic read-aloud that would also work well in an educational setting.

Books+Publishing reviewer: Angela Crocombe is a senior buyer and bookseller at Readings Kids. Books+Publishing is Australia’s number-one source of pre-publication book reviews.

Books+Publishing pre-publication reviews are supported by the Copyright Agency Cultural Fund.

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