From the award-winning creator of Baby Business (2019) and Cooee Mittigar (2019) comes a stunning bilingual story of healing and belonging.
Told in English and Dharug, Open Your Heart to Country is a moving account of re-connection to Country from a First Nations perspective.
Sharing the nourishing power of returning home and being immersed in the language of Country, this picture book invites readers to reflect on the importance of place, not only for First Nations’ peoples but for everyone.
With exquisite illustrations and soft, lilting text, Open Your Heart to Country appeals to the very young, while sharing a deeper message for older readers... A book the whole family can enjoy.
SHORTLISTED, 2023 KARAJIA AWARD FOR CHILDREN'S LITERATURE
NOTABLE, 2023 CHILDREN'S BOOK COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARDS, PICTURE BOOK OF THE YEAR
SHORTLISTED, 2023 NSW PREMIER'S LITERARY AWARDS, INDIGENOUS WRITERS' PRIZE
About The Author
Jasmine Seymour is a Dharug woman and descendant of Maria Lock, who was the daughter of Yarramundi, the Boorooberongal elder who had met Governor Phillip on the banks of the Hawkesbury River in 1791.
Maria was the first Aboriginal woman to be educated by the Blacktown Native Institute. She was married to carpenter and convict, Robert Lock and their union resulted in thousands of descendants who can all trace their Dharug heritage back past Yarramundi.
Jasmine is a member of the Dharug Custodian Aboriginal Corporation.
It is Jasmine’s wish that through her books, everyone will know that the Dharug mob are still here, still strong. Jasmine is a primary school teacher in the Hawkesbury area of NSW.
