Wheatley, Nadia (text) Ken Searle (illus.) Australians ALL: A History of Growing Up from the ice Age to the Apology.

Ewing, Robyn

(A) ** WHEATLEY, Nadia (text) Ken Searle (illus.) Australians ALL: A History of Growing Up from the ice Age to the Apology Allen & Unwin, 2013 279pp $49.99 ISBN 9781741146370 SCIS 1610264

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It is rare for an author to be at once an engaging and imaginative storyteller and an expert historian. Nadia Wheatley's ability to share the recta-narrative of Australia's history for the last fifty thousand years or so through cameos of individual children and young people is remarkable. In Wheatley's own introductory words: For me story is everything. Usually, children's lives are not the focus of historical accounts, despite the acknowledgement that our childhood in large part shapes who we become. Often history records only refer to children and those who are vulnerable in general terms. In this volume, however, the real, seemingly small worlds of children and young people bring Australia's journey to life and help us better understand the bigger picture we are all creating.

Each cameo is finely drawn and has been meticulously researched so that individuals come to life. As readers we are privileged to walk momentarily in their shoes and to understand a little of their challenges and their perspectives at certain points in time. We can't help but be moved by such authenticity: we shudder at what was to come for Nanbaree's clan as he watches the white ghosts invade his home; feel despair for Lucy Luck as she labours in the mill; marvel at the bravery of orphaned Mary Haydock (later Reibey) as she escapes the orphanage and dresses as a boy to steal a horse; admire Matthew Flinders' skill in circumnavigating our island at such a young age; grieve along with the McCallums as they lose eight of their eleven children to diphtheria within a month; marvel at the courage of Hilda Muir when stolen from her family or Nene Manasseh who escaped civil war in Sudan to finally settle in Hobart. Such careful attention to the detail and in many cases tragedy of their lives- helps the reader understand history in new ways. Throughout, despite the racism, sadness, greed and the tragedy, the recurring themes of hope, bravery, survival, perseverance and friendship prevail. Once again, in Wheatley's own words, understanding the darkness will help us see the light.

Historic photos, lithographs and paintings also provide additional dimensions to the story. Each chapter concludes with a timelist that helps frame the individual within the layered picture of Australia's journey from the Ice Age through to the historic Apology to the Aboriginal peoples who began this nation. A wonderful read for adults and children alike, Australians All should be on every teacher's shelf.

While the book concludes with the Apology to Australia, just as the Law and the Land continue always, the final chapter cannot really be a conclusion: Wheatley reminds us that the story is an ongoing unfinished journey and that: All of us are making history every moment of our lives'. RE

** Book by an Australian author or illustrator

(A) An outstanding book of its kind as recommended by the reviewer