There’s a Prawn in Parliament House: The Kids’ Guide to Australia’s Amazing Democracy

By Annabel Crabb & First Dog on the Moon

Reviewed by Annaleise Byrd

Annabel Crabb is an ABC journalist, political commentator and host of TV shows including Kitchen Cabinet and Back in Time for Dinner. First Dog on the Moon is the pseudonym of political cartoonist and illustrator Andrew Marlton. This dream pairing is what first caught my eye: if anyone could make politics interesting, funny and accessible for kids (and politically lacking adults), it’d be these two.

This entertaining middle grade non-fiction resource opens with an introductory note from Shawn the Prawn, a fossilized crustacean encased in the floor of the Marble Foyer in Parliament House. The subsequent text is interspersed with Shawn’s speech-bubbled opinions, along with fact boxes and small black and white illustrations of various creatures (including an anthropomorphic democracy sausage).

The first chapter provides a tour of Parliament House, complete with a full-page map of the building and intriguing subheadings like ‘Under the House’ and ‘Invading Insects’. The reader is regaled with details of secret underground rooms and annual influxes of migrating bogong moths, a clever strategy that minimises the risk of young readers becoming bored while learning about Parliamentary architecture, the House of Representatives and Hansard reporters.

There are also chapters on Australian history, the Constitution, how voting works, Ministers and Departments, the press, and making laws. There’s a list of every referendum ever held in Australia (45, for the record), along with their outcomes (eight succeeded); a sample ballot paper with humorous candidate names (e.g. Tina Notashark from the Let’s Go Swimming Party); and a 1.5-page cartoon showing the progression of a draft bill through Parliament. Back matter includes a glossary and a kid-friendly list of things to spot at Parliament House.

Crabb doesn’t shy away from acknowledging the darkest aspects of Australian political history, such as the White Australia policy and the violence inflicted on Indigenous people by colonisers. In her words, ‘… being honest about the past is important. As voters and citizens today, we can’t change the mistakes of the past. But we can do the very best we can – as a democracy – to learn from them, to correct them where that’s possible, and to ensure they aren’t repeated’.

This book would make a fantastic classroom resource, especially for those schools that do a Year 6 Canberra trip – or perhaps as a decent substitute for those that don’t! I also recommend it for anyone seeking a highly palatable refresher on how Australia’s political system works. Although Crabb mentioned on social media that this book is aimed at 12-year-olds, this middle-aged reader learnt a lot from it!

Annabel Crabb

First Dog on the Moon

Annaleise Byrd is the author of middle grade portal fantasies Losing the Plot and Down the Plot Hole, and the picture books You Are Not a Pup!