Aug 30, 20215 min read

Cooee Mittigar - A Story On Darug Songlines by Jasmine Seymour | Book review for teachers.

Updated: Oct 6, 2021

Today, I would like to acknowledge the Yuggera people as the Traditional Custodians of the beautiful land I am standing on today. From the mountains to the river, I open my heart and my eyes as I walk this land, listening, learning and caring for Country. I want to extend this respect to Elders; past, present and emerging and to all First Nations peoples reading this post today. We are all remembered here.

* Please know that this post is not sponsored. Each blog post is based on my own experiences, opinions, and what I have been taught, and does not represent all First Nations peoples. Connecting with your local First Nations Community is always the most respectful way for you to embed First Nations content specific to your area.

This blog post is shared with you today as a part of the Wingaru Heal Country Challenge and the focus area of 'Revitilising Language'. Remember to head over to the Wingaru Education website to check out all of their incredible and FREE resources for the challenge that you can use time and time again to help you embed First Nations perspectives into your everyday teaching.

Awards and accolades

Winner, 2020 Prime Minister's Literary Awards, Children's Literature
Shortlisted, 2020 Small Press Network Book of the Year Awards
Shoprtlisted, 2020 Children's Book Council of Australia Book of the Year Awards, Award for New Illustrator
Shortlisted, 2020 Speech Pathology Australia Book of the Year Awards, Eight to 10 Years
Notables, 2020 children's Book Council of Australia Book fo the Year Awards, Eve Pownall Award for Information Books

"Warami mittigar. Hello friend. We welcome you to Darug Country. Cooee mittigar. Come here friend, and join our Daruga mudjin. Let's make some budyeri dreaming."

Written by proud Darug woman, mum, primary school teacher and descendent of Maria Lock, Jasmine Seymour, and illustrated by Darug woman, artist - educator and the daughter of Aunty Edna Watson, Leanne Mulgo Watson is; Cooee Mittigar - A Story on Darug Songlines. This deadly Darug duo, have come together to share with you and your students, a gentle guide to the beauty of Darug Country and an exploration of language, as we are guided through the traditional seasons of the Greater Sydney Basin area - Darug Country.

Cooee Mittigar - A Story on Darug Songlines; is a stunning hardcover First Nations children's book, perfect for any foundation / kindy / prep to year 4 teacher, looking to embed First Nations perspectives into their everyday teaching through the themes of; social life and customs, Dreaming, language (Darug), Country, ceremonies, law, seasons, storytelling and songlines.

"Our song begins when the darrabura grows long and the weather warms up. Look for wumbat babies and warada in the time of funnel flowers, wubin and bottlebrush dumarang."

As you and your students turn each page you will uncover the interconnected beauty, and celebrate the seasons of Darug Country, which guide the way of life for Darug people and all who belong here.

All throughout Cooee Mittigar, you and your students will have the honour of reading the simple, yet deeply complex way that Jasmine Seymour has so instinctively woven Darug language into each sentence. These pages are complete, constructed and supported by an extensive word list that is so generously shared on each page and then collated again in a glossary at the back of the book. Giving both you and your students the support you need to understand the deep knowledge that is shared all throughout this rich First Nations children's book.

The vibrant and informative illustrations all throughout Cooee Mittigar, share important stories and knowledge with your students and really create a wonderfully grounded link to the text, which supports your student's ever growing vocabulary, visual literacy and comprehension skills.

I know you and your class will love reading and learning from the deep knowledge embedded into the pages of this stunningly vibrant First Nations children's book as have mine and I would love to hear about all of the wonderful ways you, have used or plan to use, Cooee Mittigar in your classroom.

How can you use Cooee Mittigar in your classroom?

As with most books from Magabala Books, you can find a FREE full set of teacher notes, which has been so generously complied by Magabala Books to make it super simple for you to use Cooee Mittigar in your classroom. These teacher notes are full of lesson ideas that are linked straight to the curriculum and like I said; are free for you to download from the Magabala Books website.

Here are some of my favourite lessons from the Magabala Books Teacher Notes that I have created into a visual format and linked up with the 8 Ways Aboriginal Pedagogy to make it super simple for you to embed into your programs.

Want to buy Cooee Mittigar?

Cooee Mittigar is published by Australia's leading First Nations Publishing house Magabala Books. You can purchase Cooee Mittigar directly from Magabala Books, which helps support their growth as a not for profit organisation, to share our mobs stories with the world, and to help you to embed First Nations perspectives into your teaching.

Thank you!

I want to take a minute to express how deeply grateful I am to Jasmine Seymour, Leanne Mulgo Watson and the incredible team at Magabala Books for allowing me to share Cooee Mittigar with you today and thank you for continuing to create and share all of your work and talents with us! I would like to extend this thanks and appreciation to acknowledge all of the Ancestors, Elders and Community for passing down the knowledge to; Jasmine and Leanne and the incredible minds and hands that have blessed this book. It is because of incredible books such as Cooee Mittigar that allow students all over Australia to celebrate and gain a deeper understanding of First Nations peoples, histories, languages and cultures and for this I want to say, thank you!

I would also like to thank Aunty Lesley Woodhouse and her deadly as team from Wingaru Education for creating and inviting me to be a part of the Wingaru Heal Country Challenge. It is always an honour to work with you and I am always in awe of the support you provide to teachers on their journey of embedding First Nations perspectives and your resources are just incredible! Thank you.

Your part in our community

I feel so honoured to be able to share all of these incredible resources with you but I also believe it is important for us all to share with each other, to help us grow as teachers and support each other in our individual journeys too. If you found this post helpful, then reach out and share it with a teacher friend or you can share something in the comments to help another member of our incredible teaching community.

Thank you so much for spending this time with me and as always, happy embedding!