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Turning the Pages: Australia Through Her
Picture Books
Federation has provided opportunities for endless
stories to be told. The Dromkeen Children's Literature Collection
is no exception. Picture books, while fondly recognised by one generation
after another as a source of pleasure, can also be a wonderful source
of information for all ages.
With the support from Centenary of Federation
and Scholastic Australia, Dromkeen has been successful in developing
an entry in the Nation on Parade. Long committed to exploring the
hidden and creative side of story production, Centenary of Federation
proved a timely opportunity to relook at our history as told through
picture books. Dromkeen committed to two projects. The installation
of a Heritage Trail in the Homestead grounds in October 2000 comprising
thirteen picture boards covered areas of indigenous, environment,
history, and multiculture and the Tell Us a Story entry into
Nation on Parade. This concept involved bringing picture books to
the people. Working closely with a number of picture book illustrators,
a concept brief was developed then the almost impossible task of
making this a reality. Like all art projects the concept and dream
were there the finance was not. However, Australian picture book
illustrators are generous as well as talented. The concept became
possible.
Tell Us a Story tells but part of the
story. Here the focus is very much on contemporary picture books.
Exhibitions post the parade will highlight some of the changes in
picture books over time. In early picture books the images presented
were frequently not a true reflection of what was or what the eye
saw, but rather a romanticised version-at times a mind's eye depiction.
Specifically, the colour of the Australian outdoors-the bold harshness
and clarity of our sunlight was lacking in the early works. Similarly,
the representative shape of our trees, foliage and animal life more
typically represented the English and European flora and fauna.
Such changes will be apparent when comparing
works in these future exhibitions. From the Early Romantic works
by Ida Rentoul Outhwaite, Ethel Jackson Morris, Minnie Rowe and
Peg Maltby, we see the first recognition of the uniqueness of Australian
flora and fauna as represented in Bronwyn Bancroft's Whalers, Peter
Gouldthorpe's Pannikin and Julie Vivas' Possum Magic. Marcie Muir
in A History of Australian Children's Book Illustration writes:
The image of Australia, as presented in
books for children, changed over the years...In tracing the
development of Australian children's books illustrations, changing
conceptions of the country can be seen from the land known only
to discoverer's and seamen, to a land empty save for the Aboriginal
and the Kangaroo, to a land of bushrangers and adventure (the
setting for stirring boys' stories) to one full of weird native
animals (the material for imaginary tales) and so on to the
present.
- The modern picture book is a sophisticated
genre quite different from the illustrated books of the past,
where occasional images were inserted principally for decorative
purposes, adding little or no information to the written text.
The story could be read and fully understood without the need
for illustrations. For instance, the early Australian picture
books tend to depict the stereotypical nuclear family.
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- As society changed, an increasing effort
was made to represent families without stereotypical roles.
Working mothers and fathers as care-givers were introduced;
roles within the family were less clearly defined, with some
books exploring the concept of complete role reversals. Recently
picture books have appeared about single-parent families and
homeless children. By the mid-1980s the image of Australian
society had shifted to show a greater cultural diversity, and
today we see many Australian books of a truly universal nature.
We are delighted that with Centenary of Federation
support, the art of the picture book will be shared in a most public
arena.
Kaye Keck, Director, Dromkeen, Phone: 5428
6799, Email: kaye_keck@scholastic.com.au
Dromkeen is located at 1012 Kilmore Road, Riddells Creek, Victoria.
The bookshop and gallery are open Mon-Fri 9-5pm and Sun 12-4pm.
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