Stories from the Billabong

Have you ever wondered how the kangaroo got its pouch? Or perhaps why frogs croak?  Maybe you have even been curious about how the crocodile got its scales?  Take a peek at Stories of the Billabong, with tales retold by James Vance Marshall and illustrated by Francis Firebrace, to find out. 

In this compilation of myths and legends, Marshall retells the stories of the Aboriginal storytellers of thousands of years ago.  For quite some time the stories were passed down from generation to generation by word of mouth and it was only recently that the myths were transcribed using written text. 

The opening tale beautifully depicts the creation of the Earth as described by the Aboriginal people of 60,000 years ago.  According to the Aboriginal people a rainbow serpent, the Great Mother Snake, traversed empty lands creating hills and valleys and awakening the sleeping creatures of the Earth.  Illustrations of Francis Firebrace capture the art forms of the time with bold brush  strokes of paint, bringing life to the words of the tale.

Small children will likely become instantly enthralled in the next story as they become attached to the small kangaroo baby who cannot keep up with his mother as they flee from the attacking hunter.  Will little Joey get lost behind?  Read the tale to find out and even unearth the mystery of the kangaroo's pouch.

The Aboriginal people told a clever story of the origins of the frog's croak.  Perhaps you have given thought to why the frog croaks while countless other animals have quite beautiful singing voices or peaceful chirps.  In reading this legend of the Little Green Frog you will discover the origin of the croak and likely learn a bit about the repercussions of pride and boastfulness.  It's certainly an eyeopening story with a wonderful moral for young children tucked inside.


If the tales and illustrations are not enticing enough, each story concludes with a short excerpt about the animals mentioned in the tale.  After learning how the kangaroo got its pouch you will discover that there are 50 different species of kangaroo and that the largest are the red kangaroos and stand over 7ft tall.  I doubt you have ever heard of the broglas of Australia; I certainly had not before cracking open this book.  These pale-grey birds actually perform ceremonial dances as part of their courting rituals, however you will have to read the book to find out more fun facts.

The short blurbs of information about each animal or species provide a great spring board for further exploration of the creatures in the Aboriginal tales and add the aspects of nonfiction to an otherwise fictional and imaginative retelling of Aboriginal tales.  Teachers can easily encourage children to pursue further research about the myths using the excerpts as a basis.  Or they may even ask students to write their own legend about an Australian creature.  There are simply countless lesson plan opportunities emerging from this collection of Aboriginal tales.  

Now I know you are just itching to find out how the kangaroo got its pouch!  The answer is only a library trip or bookstore purchase away!