Black Cockatoo

Honour Book in the 2019 CBCAs for Book of the Year: Younger Readers Shortlisted for the 2019 Speech Pathology Australia Book of the Year Awards in the Eight to 10 Years category Black Cockatoo is a vignette that follows Mia, a young Aboriginal girl as she explores the fragile connections of family and culture. Mia is a 13-year-old girl from a remote community in the Kimberley. She is saddened by the loss of her brother as he distances himself from the family. She feels powerless to change the things she sees around her… until one day she rescues her totem animal, the  dirran black cockatoo, and soon discovers her own inner strength. Black Cockatoo is a wonderful small tale on the power of standing up for yourself, culture and ever-present family ties. Teachers' notes available here