Kep Barna Water Creatures

By Jayden Boundry &  Tyrown Waigana

Reviewed by Sophia Evans

Kep Barna: Water Creatures is book two in the Noongar First Words series. This book invites babies and toddlers to discover water creatures and learn their names in Noongar and English. The final page of the book tells us that “Noongar is the language of the Aboriginal people of the south-west of Western Australia.”

The nine-page board book shows seventeen sea creatures from a small kooboolong (motorbike frog) up to a big maamoong (whale). Each barna (creature) is centred on separate pages with the name of the barna in Noongar and English.

The illustrations are clearly identifiable representations of each animal and illustrated using natural, true-to-life colourings and bold edges, perfect for the target age group of 0–2-year-olds.

This book offers a window into the language of Aboriginal people of the south-west of Western Australia; and whether you identify as First Nations Australian or not, this book is delightful.

Whenever learning a new language, it is respectful and important to learn the proper pronunciation. Luckily there is a free pronunciation guide available online where families can practice and connect with this language. I would have liked if the pronunciation guide was in the same order as the creatures in the book. I found myself having to flick pages back and forwards, pause the recording and relisten multiple times to get the order and pronunciation right, which was very hard with a nine-month-old on my lap.

An audio recording of the book is advertised as available online (accessed through the QR code at the back of the book) however this is either still coming or very hard to find.

A simple colouring and matching sheet is included on the website.

Activity Sheet 

Pronunciation guide

Fremantle Press 2026

Jayden Boundry on Instagram @boundry89

Tyrown Waigana on Instagram @crawlincrocodile

Companion volume to Boodja Barna: Land Creatures