Warren Brim, Anna Eglitis,
Creatures of the Rainforest/ Two artists discover Djabugay country.
Magabala Books, 2005

5-12 years

A collaboration between two artists, Warren Brim, from the Djabugay people of far north Queensland, Australia, and Anna Egletis, Fiji-born and raised in Australia, this multi-layered book is the fruit of their commitment to sharing and sustaining heritage and to bringing the aboriginal language and ecology of the Djabugay people and country to light.

Even though the book is laid out as an alphabet book, it is actually aimed at 5-12 year olds.  Each double-page spread not only carries an illustration from each artist, but also information about the creature (or trees in a few cases) written in an accessible and anecdotal way. We learn about the creatures' habits and their relevance to the Djabugay culture.  Names are given both in English and in Djabugay.  To help readers master the pronunciation of some seemingly unpronounceable words (like bunda:arra, a cassowary, or djurrgu, a particular kind of owl) there is a 'pronunciation guide' at the back of the book.  The real incentive to get to grips with this is the bilingual title to each illustration—for example, 'Ngugan burra-burrang wanggarr.  Mimu: bana: djanang.—Mosquito flying above.  Waterlilies standing in the water.' and, which will appeal to youngsters, 'Ngugun-du galbal wungang.—Mosquito drinks blood'; and we are told that Djabugay dancers perform the Mosquito Dance today to remember their ancestors covering themselves with mud and using branches to wave them away.  The illustrations here too epitomise the diverse but complimentary styles of the two artists.  Egletis' illustrations are hand-coloured linoprints on paper throughout.  Her colours are naturalistic, as is her subtle attention to detail—so, for example, leaves have bites taken out of them - and she uses a rich variety of greens and blues.  Brim's design, on the other hand, is much more stylised.  He uses both hand-coloured linoprints and acrylics to the same effect: the framing line upon line upon line radiating out from the main subject; the predominant browns and reds and ochres of the acrylics; and the black backgrounds contrasting sharply with the white lines of the lino cuts set these well within the genre of aboriginal artwork. 

Creatures of the Rainforest really is an exploration of the Djabugay rainforest, as the sub-title suggests: but it is also an invitation to participate in the love and respect these artists clearly have for their environment and its impact on their culture—and to take that message away and nurture it in our own cultural heritage so that it can be handed down to future generations.

Marjorie Coughlan
June 2006