In the Kelp Forest by Aunty Patsy Cameron and Reena Balding illustrated by Belinda Casey

Kelp are large brown seaweeds, a type of algae that are distinctive because they form forests. Common kelps in Australian waters include bull kelp, golden kelp, crayweed and giant kelp. Just like forests on land, a kelp forest shelters and feeds other plant life and animals.

Publisher blurb: A stunning picture book that explores the beauty and strength of Country beneath the waves and celebrates the living kelp forests, their creatures, and deep Cultural knowledge of Tasmania’s First Nations people. Kelp forests have intricate lives and play a key role in the balance of our oceans and seas. Myerlee, the giant kelp, sways beneath the waves, her forests alive with creatures that make her their home. Myerlee lives with the elements, shelters life, provides sustenance to those on the land and in the ocean and whispers her secrets to those who will listen.

Huge thanks to Magabala Books for sharing Into the Kelp Forest with me (Published April 7th, 2026).

IBBY and UNESCO are currently compiling a list of books that honour and celebrate indigenous languages from around the world. IBBY Australia will send a list of potential titles and I expect to see a display of these books at the IBBY Congress in Ottawa this year. In the Kelp Forest is a perfect example of a text with integrated Indigenous words and beautiful art and it will be eligible for submission with the next (second) selection round. Along the way you readin this book and your library group or young reading companion are sure to learn so much more about kelp and in this book you will also discover indigenous words for sea snails, sea urchins, crayfish, mussels, abalone and the sea horse (patterleenner in Coastal plans language). In the Kelp Forest is a book you should add to your library and then share it with your teachers so the class can discover more about this amazing underwater environment. 

As a way to find more books on this topic and for background reading take a look at these two posts from my friend at Kinderbookswitheverything:

4th June 2025 Seaweed Day

1st March 2025 World Seagrass Day

The crew of Backroads (ABC Television) visit the kelp forests of Tasmania (4 minutes). And Nature Conservancy have some further information and photos.

Read more here from Jeannie Baker about her book

You can see nine pages from this book here.

Kelp is used as food for animals and humans, for products such as toothpaste, ice cream and shampoo but climate change, global warming and pollution mean that huge areas of kelp forest have disappeared. Kep also provides shelter for animals such as trumpeter fish, crayfish and seahorses. 

Aunty Patsy Cameron grew up on Flinders Island and can trace her Aboriginal heritage through her mother’s line to four Ancestral grandmothers ... Patsy has a Master of Arts in Tasmanian Aboriginal History and an Honorary Doctor of Letters from the University of Tasmania. She was inducted onto the Tasmanian Women’s Honour roll in 2006 and was invested with an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in 2017 for distinguished service to Indigenous communities in Tasmania. Her first picture book, with Lisa Kennedy, was Sea Country, also published by Magabala Books.

Belinda Casey is a proud great granddaughter of legendary Tasmanian Aboriginal woman, Fanny Smith, whose traditional homeland is Tebrakunna Country in North Eastern Trouwerner/Tasmania. Belinda graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts with Honours from the School of Creative Arts, University of Tasmania in 2018 and was a finalist in both the 2025 John Glover Art Prize and the 2022 Hadley’s Art Prize. Belinda’s art practice honours the legacy of her ancestral grandmother and the strength and resilience of the Tasmanian Aboriginal people, their culture and connection to Country.

IBBY Australia Mini Masterpiece Art Auction - Meet Dub Leffler

Dub Leffler is an illustrator, writer, animator and mixed media artist, working in the arts through books, film, television, muralism and art education. ...  He is a prominent children’s book illustrator and author, collaborating with Sally Morgan, Banksy, Coral Vass and others, and is known for his soft realistic portraits and emotional landscapes. He is descended from the Bigambul and Mandandanji people of southwest Queensland as well as being of French, Syrian and Irish heritage. ... His award-winning bestseller picture book Once There Was a Boy (2011) received international recognition, was acquired by the Library of Congress and was featured several times at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair. More recently, Leffler illustrated Sorry Day (2018), written by Coral Vass, which won the 2019 Eve Pownall Award for Information Books from the CBCA. Black Cockatoo (2018), which he illustrated, was also an Honour Book that year. At last count, Dub has created 25 books. (Source Dub Leffler)

In 2011 Dub Leffler spoke with Kids' Book Review about his work 

Here are the two pieces Dub Leffler has generously donated for our IBBY Australia online Mini Masterpiece art auction:

From Rocky and Louie (see book cover below)

From Sorry Day (see book cover below)

And here are some of his books (all of which are sure to be in your local or school library):

Our Dreaming was submitted for the CBCA awards in 2022. Here are some judge's comments (I was one of the judges):

I do hope there will be an audio version of this or perhaps a video version so children can hear the Gundungurra words. The illustrations in this book add a gentle mood and beautifully compliment the wisdom of the text. The lines “it is our identity, purpose and responsibility to our community” are so powerful. The dedication by Dub Leffler is wonderful and would be a perfect way to begin a discussion about this book with a group of students. This book will show readers the importance of respecting and sharing dreaming stories. The reader is taken on a gentle journey of discovery too, with Gundungurra words used in such a natural way. The word list and pronunciation guide will give Non indigenous readers an opportunity to engage with and learn new words. Dub Leffler’s illustrations are perfect, drawn in muted, earthy tones, that also reflect the colours of the land. His work has a lightness of touch. Some pages are almost tactile. 

From the delicate watercolour/mixed media illustrations to the gentle tone of this almost sacred poem this book calls the reader into it ... Saunders has captured this voice, and Leffler generously invites us in. The production of this book including artistic endpapers that are like watching an orchestra tune up, matte buff stock, a text type which echoes the transparent nature of the watercolour images and a cover sprinkled with foil stars/ make this a book to be proud of.

I really love how the Indigenous words are integrated seamlessly into the English text to create this bilingual celebration of culture – and I fully appreciate the glossary and pronunciation guide at the back. The Australian life depicted in the illustrations are wonderfully realistic ... we get different views – some close ups, some long shots, some birds’ eye views – to get a real sense of place. It’s refreshing that the central characters are echidnas; a perfect choice for this slow and contemplative journey across the land. This is a book that will enrich readers’ experiences and understandings – of Indigenous culture, history, and language.

Bindi

Frog finds a Place

Dub also has an illustration in this book:

The Bicycle (2011) features separate illustrations from internationally acclaimed artists - including Quentin Blake, Shaun tan, Tony Ross and Freya Blackwood - which celebrate the liberating joy of two wheels. Read this from Kids' Book Review

In 2020 Dub Leffler created our IBBY Australia New Year greeting card which was shared with the 85 sections of IBBY.

Afloat by Kirli Saunders illustrated by Freya Blackwood

This is another one of those picture books where I marvel at the way the illustrator, in this case Freya Blackwood, has interpreted the text which I imagine was sent to her on one typed page. There is no mention of walking along a riverbank but that perfectly sets the scene. Similarly, there is no mention in the text of people living in makeshift tents beside an industrial wasteland.  Then we see people who have gathered to weave yarn, and they are seen talking and sharing food. The people are weaving with yarn as you might expect when we see them collecting vines and rushes but this definition also shows the people have gathered to yarn together: Yarning or having an informal conversation that is culturally friendly and recognised by Aboriginal people as a way to talk about something, someone or provide information. Yarning builds on the oral tradition (genre) of handing down information.

Viewed from above we see various hands weaving the threads and on the next page there are different pieces emerging from baskets to nets and even a pair of wings for a young child. The finished work beautifully matches the patterns on the end papers. 

The final words in this book are so powerful and make this book a perfect one to discuss with students aged 10+.

"Push out next to me. We are here to brave the storm. Here to rise above. To survive. Stand up next to me. We are here to fly, here to shape this world together. To thrive."

Here are a couple of quotes from the author and illustrator notes at the back of the book:

"Afloat was written for First Nations People across the globe - it's for my community, it's for the weavers, and for everyone who is with us on this journey. ... The story follows an Elder, teaching gathering and weaving practices to a child. As they continue, more people join them, until all are united in their efforts to move towards a promising future where this knowledge is deeply known and valued. At the heart of Afloat is a metaphor of weaving together, to form a raft, to brave a storm as one." Kirli Saunders

"I wanted a visual narrative to show the typical but alarming journeys of our waterways, and it begins, as the text suggests, roaming the water's edge. ... Gathering weaving reference from all over the globe, I noticed similar patters across different cultures ... " Freya Blackwood

Blurb from Freya Blackwood: From award-winning Gunai author Kirli Saunders and seven-time CBCA-winner Freya Blackwood comes Afloat, a story told in a time of climate crisis. Against a backdrop of a changed environment, an Elder leads a child along the waterways, sharing her People's knowledge and gathering community along the way.  Afloat is an uplifting and inspiring picture book that uses the practice of weaving as a powerful metaphor for the honouring and teaching of First Nations wisdom, and the coming together of all people to survive, thrive and create a more hopeful future.

I first saw this book in January, 2024 but I didn't take the time to read it slowly or think about it in depth. The CBCA (Children's Book Council of Australia) 2025 shortlists have been announced and Afloat is one of the six picture book titles. 

Here are two important reviews of Afloat:

Diverse community members work together to gather natural materials, process fiber, and weave vibrant textiles, and as the book reaches a heartwarming conclusion, their vision is at last realized. Though the complexities of Saunders’ metaphor may be lost on the youngest readers, all will feel empowered by her overarching message, summed up in her final words: “We are here to fly, here to shape this world together.” Kirkus

The spare and straightforward text describes yarning, which can refer both to fiber arts and to storytelling. “We are here to collect the vines. Here to find the rushes, to fuse the fibers…to soak and split. To roll between finger and thumb. To yarn…to knot and loop. Here to form bonds, to make ties…to unite.” Saunders’s understated prose alludes to traditional ecological knowledge passed down by women elders, to rising sea levels and cultural displacement produced by the climate crisis, and to the need to join together to effect change. Blackwood’s illustrations combine saturated details with soft-edged blending and warm, earthy tones with deep verdigris teals and sea-glass greens. Horn Book

I find it wonderful and curious that this book was sent to these two very major US reviewers. I made a similar discovery with the book Countdown to Yesterday by Shirley Marr (make sure you read this wonderful middle grade novel. In my view it should have been a 2025 CBCA winner!)

You can see inside this book here on the publisher page. This illustration is the one that moved me the most from Afloat:

Push out next to me. 

We are hear to brave the storm.

If you or your school are members of PETTA you will find the link to a unit of work using this book here. 

Companion book:

Post update - this is a new book just released in July 2025. It would also be a splendid book to read after you explore Adrift.

If you can find them these two Caldecott books also might be good comparison books:

This might be a bit of a stretch but Afloat made me think of this wonderful book about community and refugees and finding a new future:

Ancestory: the mystery and majesty of ancient cave art by Hannah Salyer

Ancestry - Ancestory - this book is about the stories of our ancestors that we have discovered through their rock art and cave art. Hence the clever title.

"These time capsules take the shape of ancient tock paintings, drawings and etchings. But who made them? Our ancestors. ... Their art can be found all over the world."

Image source: Hannah Salyer

Ancient people made this art. Some of it took a long time to create. There is a wonderful double page in this book which shows some of the materials and tools they used. A curious reader is sure to want to know more about azurite; goethite; limonite; selenite; and cuprite. With your young reader or class you could experiment with charcoal and ochre using a shell or flint as a tool. (Note there is a very useful further reading list at the back of the book).

What did they draw? Another fabulous double page shows art from 64,000 years ago through to 300 years ago from all around the world - South Africa, Saudi Arabia, India, Finland, Spain, Australia and Namibia. Then turn the page to see the numerous animals that have been discovered - animals that are now extinct - Eurasian Wild horse, Moa, Irish Elk, Woolly Rhino, Woolly Mammoth, Cave bear and Eurasian Cave Lion. 

"Our ancestors used natural shapes in the stone to help define the creatures, so that they seem to emerge from the walls."

The other issue is preservation of this precious art. Art in caves has often survived because it was not subject to wind and rain. There are some notes in the back of the book about the Lascaux Caves in France. Over the decades they were open to the public (they are now closed) and the breath of the visitors "drastically changed the atmosphere, and condensation formed on the walls and ceilings. Moisture sullied the paintings. Mould developed. And high-powered lighting caused the painting to fade." Show your class this 3 minute film. 

 But what else do we know?

"Archaeologists study tirelessly to connect the dots, and sometimes people who are part of local indigenous communities still have distant familiarity with these ancient sites and stories."

Publisher blurb: Around the world, our ancient ancestors’ mysterious art is left behind on cave walls, in rainforests, and with ink made from charcoal and crushed clay. These people told their stories in magnificent drawings that still speak to us today, echoing across generations. In her own stunning artwork that features the deserts of North America to the caves of Papua New Guinea, Hannah Salyer showcases ancient rock paintings, drawings, and etchings and invites us to add to the ongoing story—our ancestory.

The back matter expands the text with more information:

• site maps and lists of places where rock art sites are found
• “A Story Within a Story: The rediscovery of the Lascaux Caves”
• an author note
• a glossary of “Words to Know”
• a timeline
• resources for Further Reading and Investigation

The author raises questions about how and why our ancestors crafted their art: “Mapping the stars? Documenting the world around them?” Readers will also learn our forebears used all-natural materials, such as charcoal, ash, and malachite, and tools including flint, shells, and yucca stalks. Excellent explanatory backmatter concludes this fascinating book. Kirkus Star review

This unusual and brilliant book will appeal to a wide age range of readers who will want to study it in repeated readings. I anticipate that teachers will want to introduce the book to different classes, like art, history and composition. It makes an excellent read aloud. Worlds of Words

I spied this book when I was shopping at Gleebooks with my friend and I suggested she could buy this for her school library. That means I am the lucky first borrower of this utterly brilliant book. I also relate to the content of this text because as a child we used to clamber over rock art in a local reserve near my home. There was a kangaroo carved into those rocks a little like the one on the cover of this book - which is art from Arnhem Land.

Awards:

• Bank Street Children’s Best Books of the Year
• Vermont Red Clover Book Award
• Kirkus Reviews Best Books of 2020
• Outstanding Science Trade Books for Children (NSTA/CBC)
• New York Public Library’s Best Books for Kids
• CBC Best Book of the Year

Watch this film where Hannah describes her book. You can read more about Hannah Salyer here. "The artist used ceramic sculpture, photography, coloured pencils, charcoal pigment and digital media to create the illustrations for this book."

Please add this book to your school library and then find a passionate teacher who you know will enjoy exploring this fascinating topic with their class.