Worl Barna: Sky Creatures

By Jayden Boundry & Tyrown Waigana

Fremantle Press 2026

Reviewed by Mia Macrossan

Jayden Boundry is Wadjak Balardong Noongar and Badimaya Yamatji and a Noongar language teacher who has teamed up with Tyrown Waigana, a Wardandi Noongar and Ait Koedhal multidisciplinary artist and graphic designer.

This is the third in the Noongar First Words board book series. Other titles are Kep Barna: Water Creatures and Boodja Barna: Land Creatures. 

This one looks to the sky featuring many familar Australian birds  such as the raven, silver gull, willy-wagtail, white cockatoo, and, of course, the kookaburra which is kaa-kaa in Noongar. There are also other flying creatures: the bee, the fly and the butterfly – noort in Noongar – but the book’s main focus is birds.

Each barna (creature) is centred on separate pages with the name of the barna in Noongar (blue font) and English (smaller black font) underneath. The crisp white pages with each creature bang in the middle is excellent design for the intended age range of 0 – 2.  The colours are muted, with not too much fine detail but the black linework provides enough to make each animal instantly recognizable.

Another excellent, attractive and useful resource for connecting all Australian children with indigenous language.

Teaching activity