The Girl in the Painting
By Dee White & Sarah Anthony
Reviewed by Mia Macrossan
Dee White is an award-winning, international author of more than 25 books for children and young adults, including The Hullabaloo about Elephant Poo and Beyond Belief. She has a passion for history and uncovering stories from the past like The Girl in the Painting, which she discovered on a family holiday. Sarah Anthony is a painter and metalsmith whose early artworks were small metal sculptural pieces and contemporary jewellery. This is her second picture book after Drover.
In The Girl in the Painting these two talented creators have collaborated to produce a stunningly beautiful picture book about Susie Bourne who lived on Brocklesby Sheep Station where Tom Roberts created his iconic painting Shearing the Rams between 1888 and 1890.
In the picture book we meet a Susie who is always overlooked: no-one notices her as she collects kindling, takes water to the chickens, or kneads the dough for her sister Sophie’s bread. Then one day Tom Roberts arrives and he does notice her. He pays Susie and Sophie sixpence to kick up the dust to create the perfect lighting and atmosphere for his painting. He also painted Susie as the smiling tar boy, the only person whose face is completely visible in Shearing the Rams. So now everyone who comes to see the painting notices Susie!
This is a glimpse of life on a sheep station in the 1880s, the girls and boys do different jobs, as do the women and the men. Sarah has captured the colours, the atmosphere and mood of the outback, echoing the style of Tom Robers. You can practically feel the heat and dust!
The book cleverly tells a story, reveals a snapshot in time, and links to an iconic Australian artwork. Children will enjoy exploring this world further, both the history of life in the Australian outback and the different art movements of the time but it is one that can be enjoyed simply for what it is – a glimse into a significant time in a girl’s life. I wonder did Susie know she would become famous as the tar boy?
Teaching Notes
Walker Books Australia 2025
Dee White
Sarah Anthony
