On Friday 19 August, popular children's book author and ILF ambassador Leonie Norrington’s book ‘Look See, Look at Me’ (illustrated by Dee Huxley) was announced as an Honour Book at the 2011 Children's Book Council of Australia awards in the Early Childhood category.
Leonie was sponsored by The Indigenous Literacy Foundation to write the story in three remote Indigenous communities and the book celebrates and reinforces how remote Indigenous families rear their children.
Leonie says: "This book was written in co-operation with women from three northern communities (Wugularr, Barunga and Manyalalluk).
Leonie organised artist Dee Huxley to come up and she created the roughs for the picture book talking and negotiating with people from the same three communities.
Leonie says that sponsorship of the book by The Indigenous Literacy Foundation is important because it is essential to get voices from remote Indigenous communities heard and published. She said the book is also important because it enables children to see themselves in the literature they are being asked to read.
"It is also important to present a more realistic and positive view of child rearing in remote places to the rest of Australia" .
Leonie Norrington grew up on a remote community near Katherine and lives in Darwin. She travels to remote schools giving workshops and writing books and is an ambassador for The Indigenous Literacy Foundation. On Wednesday 7 September schools, libraries, bookshops, publishers and business around Australia will donate funds on Indigenous Literacy Day. Further information on: www.indigenousliteracyfoundation.org.au.