Azaria: A true history by Maree Coote

Publisher blurb Walker Books Australia: 

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 children. A modern day fairy tale, cautionary and unforgettable. Essential reading for students of history and the law, young and old.  When a tiny baby is stolen by a dingo, nobody will believe the truth. Prejudice, ignorance and gossip grip the nation, and the tragedy is transformed into a quest for the truth. Are you sure you know what happened? Azaria is a cautionary tale about justice, the media, wilderness, and the perils of mob thinking. Azaria forms an excellent cross-curricular resource, ideal for class discussion and activity. 

Azaria was short listed this year for our Eve Pownall Award for Information Books. A couple of weeks ago Ann James, from Books Illustrated, suggested the 2022-23 CBCA judges read an interview the Maree Coote reported in Magpies Magazine, Volume 36, No. 2, May 2021. Here are some quotes from the interview:

"The book is about innocence, ignorance and injustice."

"This is very much a story about Place, and so the rock is absolutely at the heart of things. I wanted to insert layers of meaning into the imagery, to impart that other worldly feeling one gets in that desert, that something more is going on here than meets the eye."

"My drawing style is best described as having a collage-like feel ... rough-hewn shapes overlaid on each other."

If you need to understand more about this story take a look at this report from BTN. Here is an article about Azaria written for Books Illustrated. In this video Maree reads her book and shares her motivation for writing this important story. Here is a set of very extensive teachers notes with references suited to use in High School classes. You can see other books by Maree Coote here.

Image Source: Books Illustrated

This picture book is the epitome of a top-quality informational resource with superb illustrations.  It should be essential reading for students of history and law, both young and old. StoryLinks

The large digital illustrations are fantastic at capturing the mood and the place and they support and add to the text so well. From the fabulous colours of the red desert and Uluru, the night time pictures of people looking for Azaria while the sand is covered in dingo footprints and the sad eyes of Lindy. ReadPlus

Her illustrations shimmer with the beauty of the desert; the rich colours of the natural world juxtaposed with the sombre darkness of society and supposition. Kids' Book Review