Indigenous Literacy Day 2026: My Walk Through the Seasons on Ngaanyatjarra Country
Indigenous Literacy Day 2026 is an opportunity to celebrate First Nations languages, storytelling, culture and the many ways knowledge is shared through books and community.
This year, My Walk Through the Seasons on Ngaanyatjarra Country offers children, families, educators and libraries a beautiful way to explore Country, language, seasons and connection through the eyes of a Ngaanyatjarra storyteller.
What is Indigenous Literacy Day?
Indigenous Literacy Day is an annual celebration that highlights the importance of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages, stories and literacy.
It also helps raise awareness of the importance of access to culturally relevant books and resources for children and communities across Australia, particularly in remote and regional areas.
For schools, early learning centres, libraries and families, Indigenous Literacy Day can be a wonderful starting point for exploring First Nations stories and learning more about Australia's many languages and cultures.
Meet My Walk Through the Seasons on Ngaanyatjarra Country
My Walk Through the Seasons on Ngaanyatjarra Country is a beautiful children's picture book created by Ngaanyatjarra Elder Daisy Tjuparntarri Ward, with artwork by Daisy Tjuparntarri Ward, Sharon Naparulla Burns, Sandy Robertson and students from Ngaanyatjarra Lands School at Warakurna Campus.
The book takes young readers onto Ngaanyatjarra Country in Western Australia, exploring the changing seasons and the natural world through the knowledge and experiences of people connected to Country.
It is written in English and Ngaanyatjarra, giving children the opportunity to encounter language alongside story and artwork.
Exploring the seasons of Ngaanyatjarra Country
One of the most special things about this book is the way it shows that seasons can be understood through Country and observation.
Rather than simply thinking of seasons as four divisions of the calendar, children can explore how changes in weather and the environment affect the world around them.
Rain, wind, fire, sun, plants and animals all provide signs that Country is changing.
Through the story, children can begin thinking about questions such as:
What changes can we see in our environment?
How do plants and animals respond to seasonal changes?
How does weather affect Country?
How do people learn from the land around them?
What knowledge is passed between generations?
How can language help us describe Country?
These questions can lead to rich conversations about observation, Country, culture and environmental knowledge.
What is Ngaanyatjarra Country?
Ngaanyatjarra Country is in the remote Central Desert region of Western Australia.
For Ngaanyatjarra people, Country is much more than a physical place. Country is connected with people, family, culture, language, knowledge, history and identity.
My Walk Through the Seasons on Ngaanyatjarra Country gives children an opportunity to encounter some of these connections through a story grounded in Ngaanyatjarra knowledge.
For educators, it is important to approach learning about Country with respect and to recognise that First Nations communities hold their own knowledge, stories, languages and cultural protocols.
A bilingual children's book
The use of Ngaanyatjarra and English is an important part of the book.
For children who speak English as their first language, encountering another Australian language can help broaden their understanding of the incredible linguistic diversity of this continent.
For First Nations children and families, books that reflect community languages and knowledge can provide important opportunities for language, culture and identity to be represented in children's literature.
Books can therefore do more than teach children to read. They can also help children understand that languages, stories and knowledge matter.
Why First Nations children's books matter
Australian children have access to stories from many parts of the world, but it is equally important that they encounter stories created by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people about their own Countries, communities, languages and experiences.
Authentic First Nations children's books can help children:
encounter Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages
learn about different Countries and communities
develop respect for First Nations knowledge
see First Nations people represented in contemporary children's literature
explore connections between people and place
understand that Australia has many distinct cultures and languages
For educators, choosing books created by First Nations authors, artists and communities is an important part of developing respectful classroom collections.
Ideas for celebrating Indigenous Literacy Day 2026
There are many simple ways schools, libraries and families can use My Walk Through the Seasons on Ngaanyatjarra Country as part of Indigenous Literacy Day.
1. Read the book together
Start by sharing the story as a group.
Before reading, look at the cover and illustrations and ask children what they notice.
After reading, talk about the different seasonal changes described in the book.
2. Create a seasonal observation journal
Invite children to observe their own local environment over several weeks.
They might record:
weather
plants
birds and animals
changes in daylight
rain
wind
temperature
signs of seasonal change
Encourage children to draw what they see rather than simply relying on written descriptions.
3. Explore language
Look at the Ngaanyatjarra words included in the book.
Rather than treating language as a list of vocabulary to memorise, talk about how language connects with people, place and culture.
Use pronunciation and language guidance provided by the book and its official educational resources.
4. Talk about Country
Ask children:
What places are important to you?
What do you notice when you spend time outdoors?
How do you know when the environment around you is changing?
This can create a gentle introduction to the idea of connection to Country.
5. Explore artwork
Look closely at the illustrations.
Ask children what they can see in each image and how the artwork helps tell the story.
They could then create their own artwork inspired by observations of their local environment, while making sure they understand that Aboriginal artworks and cultural symbols belong to particular artists, communities and Countries.
A book for families, classrooms and libraries
My Walk Through the Seasons on Ngaanyatjarra Country is a meaningful addition to a home bookshelf, classroom or library collection.
Its combination of story, artwork, language and knowledge of Country gives adults and children many ways to return to the book and discover something new.
For teachers, it can support conversations about seasons, nature, language, culture and First Nations perspectives.
For families, it provides an opportunity to share a story together and talk about the different places, languages and environments that make up Australia.
For libraries, it is a valuable example of contemporary First Nations children's publishing grounded in community knowledge and language.
About the creators
The book was written by Daisy Tjuparntarri Ward, a Ngaanyatjarra Elder, with artwork by Daisy Tjuparntarri Ward, Sharon Naparulla Burns, Sandy Robertson and students from Ngaanyatjarra Lands School at Warakurna Campus.
The book was created through the Indigenous Literacy Foundation's Community Publishing program.
It is a reminder of the important role that community-led publishing can play in bringing First Nations stories and languages to young readers.
Make Indigenous Literacy Day part of your reading year
Indigenous Literacy Day is an important annual event, but conversations about First Nations languages, cultures and stories don't need to end when the day is over.
Books such as My Walk Through the Seasons on Ngaanyatjarra Country can become part of an ongoing classroom, library or family collection that gives children opportunities to encounter First Nations voices throughout the year.
By reading, listening and learning respectfully, we can help children develop a deeper appreciation for Australia's many languages, Countries, cultures and stories.
Explore My Walk Through the Seasons on Ngaanyjarra Country
My Walk Through the Seasons on Ngaanyjarra Country is a bilingual English and Ngaanyatjarra children's picture book celebrating Country, culture, language and the changing seasons.