5 Aboriginal Children's Books to Explore Friendship
The start of the school year can be an anxious time for students as they settle into new classes and new routines, and also meet new people! The ability to build positive friendships is a skill we want all our children to have, but it can sometimes be a tricky space for children to navigate! Here are our favourite Indigenous books which explore the themes of friendship and confidence:
Bobtail’s Friend - In this Aboriginal Dreaming story, follow Balharda down the river from the desert to the sea and learn how words can hurt or heal, and how making friends can open up whole new worlds.
Silly Birds - In this charming and humorous morality tale, Maliyan, a proud eagle meets a turkey, Wagun, who is a silly bird, and together these two new friends begin to do silly-bird things. The Elders and Maliyan’s parents are very disappointed, warning Maliyan that it’s hard to soar like an eagle when you are surrounded by turkeys. Maliyan sees the error of his ways and together with the other animals, works to clean up the mess wrought by too many silly birds.
Friendship Fix-It - Ash can't wait to play tennis with the big kids at school today! But when James's big school project breaks, Ash has to decide whether to help her friend fix his project at lunchtime, or play the game she loves. What will she do?
My Deadly Boots - This is a joyous, empowering story about finding confidence within yourself, boots or no boots. When a young Aboriginal boy finally receives the footy boots he has been saving for, they give him the confidence he needs to face the struggles in his life. He wears them everywhere, showing them off to his friends and family as he goes. But when his boots go missing, his grandfather helps him to realise that there is much more to him than what he wears on his feet—he can draw strength from the support of his family and his connection to culture and Country
Two Mates - The true story of the special mateship between two boys who have grown up together in Broome in Australia’s north west. Jack is Indigenous and Raf is a non-Indigenous boy who has Spina bifida. The boys share their daily life as they search for hermit crabs, go hunting for barni, fish for salmon, explore the markets, eat satays and dress up as superheroes. The fact that Raf is in a wheelchair is only revealed at the end of the story.
