Malu Kangaroo - Hardcover

Morecroft, Judith

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1921272023 ISBN 13: 9781921272028

Publisher: Little Hare Books, 2008

Synopsis

This poignant story tells of how people first learned to surf through Malu Kangaroo, a kangaroo spirit, who carves a piece of wood and takes it to some children playing on a beach. He floats it on the water and shows them how to use it. The children learn to balance and guide the board through the waves "riding the high crests" and "flying before the crashing breakers."

About this title

About the Author:

Judith Morecroft worked for many years as a teacher. Bronwyn Bancroft is an Aboriginal artist whose works are collected and shown internationally. Her previous books include An Australian ABC of Animals and Big Rain Coming.

From School Library Journal:

Grade 1–4—In simple, lyrical language, Morecroft recounts how Malu-Kangaroo creates a surfboard, and the first children learn "to leap the waves/Like shining dolphins,/And to ride the high crests/Or swoop and fly/Before the crashing breakers/Like bright birds in the sun." Bancroft brings the narrative to life in brilliant and lively naive-style illustrations. Large paintings feature intricate, detailed patterns and figures outlined in thick black lines. Surfing is popular in Australia, but it is more accurately associated with Polynesian-Hawaiian traditions. Diane Wolkstein's Sun Mother Wakes the World (HarperCollins, 2004), also illustrated by Bancroft, is an example of an excellent indigenous Australian folktale. Malu Kangaroo, nevertheless, is an engaging story, well realized through Bancroft's vivid art.—Marilyn Taniguchi, Beverly Hills Public Library, CA
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About this edition

• Publisher: Little Hare Books
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 1921272023
• ISBN 13: 9781921272028
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 40
• Illustrator: Bancroft Bronwyn