Yellow - Eye - Hardcover

David Spillman

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1863746072 ISBN 13: 9781863746076

Publisher: Era Publications Pty.Ltd, 2001

Synopsis

The yellow-eye fish were becoming scarce. Neither the Impatjara Aboriginal community nor the Newmob white community alone could find the answer to this serious problem. Scientists from the white community came to solve the problem with their special equipment; the Aboriginal elders also had valuable knowledge about the area. This is a story about communication-the way in which different cultures approach problems and how they view the world.

About this title

About the Author:

David Spillman works as a teacher at Titjikala School and is focused on assisting Aboriginal children to develop knowledge, skills, and confidence to successfully negotiate cultural differences. Mark Wilson is an award-winning Australian illustrator with over 50 titles to his credit including Valley of the Bones, El Nina, and Legend of the Underwater Cave.

From School Library Journal:

Grades 2-4--When the livelihood of the Impatjara Aboriginal community in Australia is threatened, white men intervene to investigate the cause of the decline of the Yellow-eye fish. Told from the perspective of a 12-year-old native boy, this is a story about the coming together of two cultures, and the fragile balance between modern science and the wisdom of a people. The text is somewhat confusing, and the choice of layout is not always conducive to easy reading. Some spreads have the text crossing over onto the recto before continuing back on the verso. Readers accustomed to reading from top down, left to right, will be distracted as they try to decipher the layout. In addition, there is also challenging vocabulary (Newmob, Yanatji, Nizbets) to get through, and children may be lost as they stumble through the foreign terms. Wilson's richly textured, painted illustrations are dreamlike when depicting the Aboriginal people, and more vivid when depicting the fish. Although not a book suited to independent reading, this title offers an important lesson in cultural awareness. It is also an essential reminder to people not to rely solely on modern technology and science and lose their natural instincts. The old addage "respect your elders" rings true.

Cathie E. Bashaw, Somers Library, NY

Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Era Publications Pty.Ltd
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 1863746072
• ISBN 13: 9781863746076
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 32