Miimi and Buwaarr, Mother and Baby

By Melissa Greenwood

Reviewed by Mia Macrossan

Melissa Greenwood was born on her Gumbaynggirr jagun (homelands) in Coffs Harbour and raised between both Gumbaynggirr and Bundjalung nations. Her carefully crafted stories include Giinagaay Gaagal, Hello Ocean, My Little Barlaagany, Sunshine, and Miimi Marraal, Mother Earth.

She says of her work: ‘ My strongest inspiration for my art comes from my country. The land we live on is everything; the earth is our greatest teacher, our knowledge holder and our divine authority.’

This book shows how Miimi (mother) shares the stories of her people with her Buwaarr (baby) as millions of generations have done worldwide since time immemorial.  In this case it is the wisdom of Gumbaynggirr culture that Greenwood writes about and illustrates in her own distinctive style, aquainting the newest member of the family with their environment, language and totems of her people.

‘I want you to walk proudly in life knowing who you are’ she writes. Each newborn is a tabula rasa, dependent on others for sustenance and knowledge. This beautiful and appealing book is one way to help a child understand its place in the world while at the same being an ode to universal and timeless mother/baby relationships and ties to family and land.

ABC Books AU 2024

Melissa Greenwood