Ambelin Kwaymullina,
Caterpillar and Butterfly
Fremantle Press, 2009;

Crow and the Waterhole
Fremantle Press, 2007.

The bright covers of both these picture books have an immediate impact and just beg to be picked up and read – and the stories and illustrations between the covers are equally compelling.  Author Ambelin Kwaymullina is from the Baligu and Nyamal peoples of the Pilbara region of Western Australia and her Aboriginal heritage is evident in her art, which makes use of a very contemporary palette.

Crow and the Waterhole, Kwaymullina’s first book, tells the story of Crow, who flies away from her waterhole to seek her destiny because “Crow-in-the-waterhole”, who appears to be the most wonderful bird she has ever seen, is making her feel inadequate.  On her journey, she rescues Little Gum, a seedling, from a fire; helps Goanna to rescue himself; and calls all the creatures back to Paperbark, a forlorn and forgotten tree.  She is also followed everywhere she goes by a little pink frog, which young readers will delight in seeking out on each page.  Each time, Crow catches sight of a better crow and becomes increasingly depressed, until Kookaburra (laughingly, of course) points out that each bird was her own reflection.  Crow learns self-esteem – and is eager to pass the message on, whenever she “met someone seeking their destiny”.

Caterpillar and Butterfly, meanwhile, is about a caterpillar who is too frightened to join the other animals to go to Waterhole, or to the top of Tree or Rock.  Actually, she has a point.  She is much smaller and more vulnerable than Wallaby, Goanna or Snake – a fact that will increase young readers’ sympathy for and maybe empathy with Caterpillar.  Of course, if they don’t know it the first time they hear the story (and this would be a beautiful way to introduce young children to metamorphosis), they will certainly know in subsequent readings that once timorous Caterpillar has hidden herself away in her cocoon, and had time to think about how much she might be missing, she will be magically transformed into Butterfly, who will spread her wings and take flight: in this case, metaphorically as well as literally.  They will also respond to the swirling pictorial speech bubbles in the illustrations, which reflect the dialogue.

At the end of each story the moral is made explicit by the clever device of Crow and Caterpillar/Butterfly eagerly passing on what they have learnt to other birds/caterpillars.  The beautifully crafted simplicity of these fables and the relevance of their message to people of all ages lend a universal appeal to these stunning picture books, which deserve to become classics.

Marjorie Coughlan
June 2010