AUTHOR: Maree Coote GENRE: Non-Fiction Children's PAGES: 44 RELEASED: 1 March 2020 SYNOPSIS: What happens when the truth gets lost? Where wild animals and people meet, tragedy can strike, But when a tiny baby is stolen by a dingo, people simply cannot accept such a thing. Prejudice and gossip grip the nation, and the tragedy transforms into a fight for the truth. How did it all go so wrong? This is a true Australian story of innocence, ignorance, and the perils of 'mob thinking'. A beautifully illustrated non-fiction picture book that sensitively explores the collision of wilderness and civilisation, explains a famous miscarriage of justice, and examines the role of the media in history-telling, in an appropriate manner for young readers. I was kindly sent a copy of this book for review from Walker Books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. A beautiful retelling of a story about loss and injustice that gripped a nation.
The words "a dingo stole my baby" will forever be ingrained in all Australians. The death of Azaria Chamberlain and the wrongful prosecution of her mother Lindy was a story that every Australian watched and followed. Here, Maree Coote tells the story to a new generation of Australians. This August marks 40 years since Azaria was taken by a dingo, and while I obviously wasn't alive at the time, I did grow up learning about the story and the absolute media storm that swirled around the tragedy. While I've not read extensively on the case, I have seen the TV mini-series and other pieces that have been released in the past twenty years. So going into this book, I didn't know what to expect in terms of how Maree would tell this story, especially to a younger audience. Maree's artwork is stunning and fit the story perfectly - there's so much detail and yet it's very simple at the same time. As a 24-year-old, it's obviously been a while since I've read an illustrated children's book, but I thoroughly enjoyed taking my time to absorb every little detail as I read the story. The story itself was told so well and beautifully, touching on all aspects that made the case such a gripping story that made headlines daily. No matter how old you are, this is a book that ALL Australians need to read and have on their bookshelf. And when the time is right, it's a book that needs to be shared with the next generation, so they can learn about how this tragedy and injustice changed Australia. |
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