Milly Meelyu (Holly Bradley & Darryl Fogarty, illus Corinne Fogarty, Fremantle)

Milly Meelyu is a thoughtful exploration of environment and wildlife protection, written by conservation biologist Holly Bradley and Badimia Elder Darryl Fogarty. Milly Meelyu is a skink who lives in a “big castle of logs with her family”. When bulldozers destroy their habitat, Milly and her parents must search for a new place to live. A log “surrounded by yummy flowers” is too small, and another is too cold for this warm-blooded family. After a close encounter with a hungry cat, Milly’s family finally finds the perfect place to call home. Beautiful illustrations in rich, earthy tones by Corinne Fogarty – whose family totem is the meelyu – bring the story to life. This dual-language picture book is written in English and the Badimia language and introduces readers aged 4 to 12 to skinks, including their habitats, diet and clever use of camouflage to hide from predators. As well as being a charming story, Milly Meelyu serves as a valuable learning tool, offering insight into First Nations languages and totems, environmental conservation and the impact of land clearing and feral animals on native species. The book is a gentle reminder of our shared responsibility to protect and care for the land and the creatures that depend on it.

Books+Publishing reviewer: Melinda Allan is a librarian, freelance writer and all-round booklover. 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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