Our Australian HeArt!, a picture book review

Today it is my pleasure to share with you a beautiful new picture book called Our Australian HeArt! The book is an anthology of stunning artworks (hence the capital A in HeArt) with text to match.

The sixteen artworks were collated from submissions to Romi Sharp @ Just Write For Kids Australia and published by Daisy Lane Publishing towards the end of 2023. Artists were invited to submit artworks that ‘view Australia through a colourful lens of diversity – from our stunning landscapes to our iconic parts of nature, a unified community of culture and social connectedness. We want our country’s uniqueness to come alive in this fantastic compendium – that encapsulates YOU!’  And, in my opinion, the book has achieved that and more.

A percentage of proceeds from the book will be donated to The Indigenous Literacy Foundation to support literacy learning in remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

The blurb

Glistening rocky landscapes. Magical underwater reefs.

Surprises found in our unique flora and fauna.

Community celebrations and tributes to the past.

Join in this colourful, heartfelt collection of art and love

For the land of Australia, inspiring young readers and

artists to answer, ‘What’s in your Australian heart?’

More information about the book can be found at Our Australian HeART.

The foreword

Dear Reader,

From the little treasures in your own backyard, to the vast landscapes peppered across our beautiful land, your favourite wildlife wonders and special people, places and memories that hold great significance. Each and every one of us feels a unique piece of Australia in our hearts. These talented artists share their own stories through words and pictures, and we encourage you to do the same.

What’s in your Australian heart?

Romi Sharp, Just Write For Kids Australia

Contributing artists

You can find out more about, and view work samples of, the contributing artists via the links below.

– Rachael Robertson – Bridget Acreman – Suzanne Barton – Mel Corrigan and Rhonda Ooi 
– Kim de Haan – Michele Dodd – Alisha Dyer – Naomi Eccles-Smith – Hannah Friend – Daniela Glyntzos – Imogen Hartland – Jacqui Hewlett – Carla Hoffenberg – Jennifer Horn – Jessica and Lorraine Miller – Jeanette Stampone

You can also find interviews with many of the illustrators on the Just Write For Kids blog.

What I like about Our Australian HeArt

Sixteen beautiful works of art, each unique in story, style and texture are captured between the brilliantly coloured covers depicting Perth’s Kings Park. Each piece invites the readers and viewers to consider another aspect of our Australian home and what it means to be Australian. There is much to explore in each artwork and opportunities to consider what it means to and for us. Some illustrators invite readers and viewers to go deeper in their exploration and response. The final illustration asks readers to ponder the question ‘What’s in your Australian heart?’

Using Our Australian HeArt in the classroom

The book provides many opportunities for making links to the Australian Curriculum in the classroom.

There are opportunities for (for example):

HASS: discussing our history, our heritage and what it means to be Australian, in all its diversity; discussing different places, their significance locally, nationally and personally.

Science: discussing native flora and fauna, their habitats and what they need to grow and survive; discussing the difference between natural and managed landscapes and how to care for the environment.

Art: studying the compositions, their colours, the materials used and style; making their own artworks about places that are important to them, experimenting with materials and styles.

English: sharing opinions about the artworks and text as ways of expressing ideas; creating own texts about places that are important to them.

Display children’s artworks with accompanying text and/or compile into a book

Find out more

You can find out more about this beautiful book at the Just Write For Kids Australia website www.justkidslit.com/our-australian-heart, where you will also find some free downloadable resources, including some poppies to make for Anzac Day.

You will also find reviews on these blogs:

Purchase your own copy

You can purchase your own copy of the book from the Just Write For Kids Australia store.

Remember, by doing so you are also supporting the wonderful work of the Indigenous Literacy Foundation.