As the sun goes down on Worrimai country, a sleepy village in NSW Australia, all the little bush friends wake up to play... and sometimes cause mischief.”
Guuluu Gimbairjar, a children’s book penned by Gamilaroi and Weilwun woman Cherie Johnson, features local Worrimai language to introduce kids to Aboriginal culture and storytelling. The inclusion of language was under the guidance and direction of language researcher, teacher and Worimi man Luke Russell.
Guuluu Gimbaijar author CHERIE JOHNSON says the book incorporates Worrimai language throughout which is the language of Birray, Guringay and Warrimay people, and is a fantastic book for young learners.
“Sharing local Aboriginal language and culture through storytelling is fundamental in Aboriginal communities and this is the perfect way to share stories with everyone.”
“The book tells the story of five magical creatures, Bapu, Mulin, Dawibang Puum, Wakaan and Narrin who awaken when the sun goes down and everyone else is asleep.”
“The characters and illustrations are inspired from land culture and children’s art with my daughter influencing the creation of the critter images. To see them come to life on the pages has been beautiful to see.”
Johnson is an educator by trade, so ‘Guuluu Gimbaijar’, meaning ‘bush friends’ in Worrimai language from the Worimi people of the mid-north coast region of New South Wales, so this is much more than just a children’s book. This book has supporting teaching resources outlining how to navigate the resource while linking to the Australian curriculum and a focus on the positive behaviours for learning and problem-based learning (PBL) pedagogy.
“Our educators are always on the lookout for resources to help them embed Aboriginal content into learning outcomes, so we have done the hard work for them by putting together lesson plans they can teach in the classroom.”
“This book is suited to OOSH, early childhood and primary school readers and includes step-by-step guide to create the five characters made with easily accessible with coastal bush materials such as leaves and gum nuts. This is a really effective way to get the learning outcomes they need in a fun and interactive way.”
This is Johnson’s first foray into children’s books, but she is no stranger to developing content for teachers. Johnson’s day job is running Speaking in Colour, a 100% owned and operated Aboriginal company focused on embedding Aboriginal cultural perspectives into classrooms, government policy, board rooms and workplaces.
“It is so important to educate our educators about Aboriginal history and culture in a local setting. Our teachers need to feel comfortable and supported when they are both building relationships with local Aboriginal communities and teaching in the classroom. This is one of the fundamentals of what we do at Speaking in Colour.”
Guuluu Gimbairjar is now available to buy here.
For more information or to organise interviews call 0408 688 547.