The Burnt Stick

by Anthony Hill, Mark Sofilas (Illustrator)

When John Jagamarra was five, he was taken away from his mother and home in an Australian aboriginal camp. John was half-white, and the law said he had to be educated in a mission school to learn the ways of white people. But John never forgot his real home - or his mother, who dared to trick the men from the welfare department by darkening him with a burnt stick to hide his light skin. A poignant tale of painful separation, abiding love, and enduring memory.

Genres: Childrens, Historical, Indigenous, Fiction, Picture Books, Short Stories, Australia

52 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1994

About the author

Anthony Hill was born in Melbourne on 24 May, 1942. In a varied career he has been a newspaper and television reporter, political journalist, antique dealer, speech-writer for Australia's Governor-General, and now full-time author.

Reviews

[Sita · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's actually been a while since I read this but I still remember the plot and what I thought of it. I was in year 5 when my teacher read this to the class, it was the day that Kevin Rudd said sorry to the stolen generation. That was a huge day and over the course of the following week we learned so many things about Aborigines and the stolen generation. One of the things we did was read this book.

This book is about a boy who is going to be taken away from his Aborigine family because his father was white. His mother comes up with a plan that when the people come to take him away, she will rub a burnt stick on his body when they come to check.

The story does not end well, but it is very, very beautiful and it is hard not to like it. The writing, the characters and the plot all come together amazingly in this story.

I recommend this to primary school children, not so much older people because it is a quick, short read and is probably better suited for younger people. I'm not saying that older people won't enjoy it, except younger people will probably enjoy it more.

[CanadianReader · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an affecting longer picture-book narrative with powerful charcoal illustrations. It concerns a young mixed-race light-skinned Australian aboriginal boy, John Jagamarra, who, at the age of five, is seized from his mother and placed in a mission school far from his home. The boy has never known the identity of his white father and has always lived with and been fully accepted by his aboriginal mother’s family and clan. It was long an Australian government policy to remove light-coloured aboriginal children from their family groups and place them in missions or white foster families. The goal was to integrate them into white society.

Hill’s is a work of fiction, but it is based on accounts he heard over the years of measures aboriginal mothers sometimes took to keep their children with them. In John’s case, the charcoal from a burnt stick is rubbed into his skin to darken it. For a time the “Big Man” from the Welfare Department is fooled, so convincing are the effects of the soot.

Hill respectfully weaves in aboriginal stories and beliefs about the Dreaming in this quietly told story. His depiction of John’s mother Liyan’s grief at being separated from her child is wrenching.

This book is best suited for an older, more mature audience of children. In a few illustrations, the characters are shown naked, and this could certainly be a distraction. (Try taking middle school students to an art gallery where lots of nudes are on display.)

An older book, yes, but still very worthwhile.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sad, tender book about the reality of the stolen generation of Australia's Aboriginal people under government policy. Although things are not as they were, this aspect of Australia's history is so important to talk about, and this book is a brilliant way in to that discussion for children.

The story of John Jagamarra and his mother Liyan has stayed with me since I first read this book many years ago. Anthony Hill does not shy away from discussing any aspect of this story, but keeps it accessible and appropriate to children, and that is the genius of this book. The charcoal illustrations by Mark Sofilas are beautiful and enhance the gravity of the text. Highly recommended.

[Tyler · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this book was a very short but sweet book. it was a very sad story about an australian aboriginal who the government is trying to take away from his family becuase he is half white. But when the government comes to take him away the family tricks the government by rubbing the ash from a burnt stick all over his body. Then they told the government officials that they must have been mistaken and they left. But then a few nigts later the government sneak up to their camp and see that they had tried to trick them so they took him away. But at the end the boy who was taken away grew up and was heading back to where the camp was and then he found out that his family have long left the spot.

[Emily Mcleod · Rating 4 out of 5]

A historical narrative that depicts the loss of a young child and their memories of attempting to avoid being “stolen” from their family and kin and taken to a white institution. I enjoyed that the narrative focused on the life of the child and his family, weaving stories of the Dreamtime and totems with the efforts of trying to keep John safe. The ending was heart wrenching, now an adult John returns to his home with his own son, only to find it long emptied. He camps and repeats the ash ritual, but the reader is left with his pain and the wondering of whether he will ever find his family again.

This novel would suit a stage 4 class, you could look at the fact that the narrative is fiction and based on fact, but also look at the difference between stories told as biography from the victims of the stolen generation, and stories told by sympathetic others as fictional representation. The illustrations were beautiful and tasteful, you could compare them with Aboriginal artwork of similar themes, especially the dreaming, and wonder why they were not included.

This story would also suit stage 3 upper primary as a “safe” way to explore the history of the stolen generation, before moving into more complex and true accounts in stage 4/5.

Personally I enjoyed this perspective and felt it was a kind representation of a deeply painful subject. It was honest and focused on the loss of a family and home and culture.

[Natasha Allday · Rating 5 out of 5]

This moving and beautifully crafted book has stood the test of time. I read this to my 8yo son and we were both moved to tears by the evocative language and stunning illustrations by Mark Sofilas. The image of John Jagamarra’s mother Liyan weeping in the dust as the truck takes her precious son is heartbreaking.

Whilst it is a very sad story, it is an important one, and it was pitched at the right level for my son to understand and process. He asked about whether John Jagamarra was a real boy and about how crazy it was to treat anyone differently because of their skin colour.

The author’s note regarding the Aboriginal man’s story who inspired him, and how he never saw his mother again just adds to the emotional impact of this story.

When we finished the book my son said “imagine if someone took me away from you”, and that is the reason stories like this are so important to share.

[Willow Stevenson · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's been a while since I read this book. We read it in school as a class and then studied its meaning, and purpose and interpreted its message. Even as a kid, it was truly horrible to learn about the trauma these indigenous adults and children were put through, and it was particularly heartbreaking reading about the kids of the stolen generation. This book especially opened my eyes to the desperation that the Aboriginal families felt to keep their children safe. This book was really sad, disturbing, and tragic; which makes knowing that this is based on real-life events even more painful.

[Sean Harding · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully illustrated and told story about the attempt to prevent a child being stolen as part of the stolen generations a dark chapter in Australian history. Well told and it hits where it should hit, we should all be profoundly sorry for these events in our history and learn from them, yet sadly with the plight of refugees in concentration camps in our nation, there will be another of these type of books in years to come.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ages 7 and up. A story of an Aboriginal child in Australia who was one of many separated from his family and sent to a forced assimilation school. His mother uses a burnt stick to darken his skin in the hopes that this will render him too dark to be taken away. A story of heartbreak and resilience about a tragic practice toward indigenous children that was common in the 20th century across the anglophone world.

[Anna Davidson · Rating 5 out of 5]

How have I not read this book before?! A very short, but incredibly powerful novel that tells the story of the stolen generation in a relatively simple, but very effective way. A must read for all Australian children.

[Reihaneh · Rating 5 out of 5]

it is one the best book i have ever read. i like the plot of this book. it has sad ending. i like how it shows the pain of separation of kid and how john struggled in his life. iwhsh he has found his family.

[Cel Jel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A gently story of an Aboriginal boy whose white father has moved from the station and left his mother living with her community.
Under the law mixed race children were to be taken and the story tells of the effects on the boy and his mother. His experiences in Foster care

[Jayme · Rating 3 out of 5]

A strange book - very clearly written for a child audience, at times, but with descriptions so dense I really can't peg which age it works for.
Content wise, heartbreaking and very gripping. Just weirdly written

[Saida · Rating 5 out of 5]

good

[Agent.Smith]

it is very good

[Mel Of Bacchus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Recommend for all ages to understand the stolen gen

[georgia marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

:(

[georgie_porgie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A tragic tale. Addresses the sensitivities of Australian past in a personal, children-accessible manner. Beautiful illustrations.

[Ron · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is a sad but poignant story to share the experiences of what happened to the stolen generation. Well written and suitable for children aged 7 and up.

[Kylie Reedy · Rating 4 out of 5]

So sad. Reread again for school.

[SBC · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a Children's Book Council of Australia - Shortlisted Book.

It was a very good read - very well-written, educational, and interesting. Also very sad.

I liked how it starts out with all the positives about the place where he is, then goes on to the negatives. Then back to the history; what he remembered of the time before and his mother and the community were so nice, and what they did was clever and interesting. The atmosphere was so real I could breathe the smoke of their fire and feel happy splashing with the children.

I thought it was a big skip at the ending though - suddenly bitter and older and hard. Why not go back as soon as he left school? Why now after he is married and his own son is reasonably old (5-8)? And it was sad how he seemed so bitter then, and completely rejected any of his whiteness - before, when he was growing up, he was a peaceful mixture, but the separation had made him hate the white world.

[Nikita Van · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is about a five year old boy, who is taken to a special school because he is half white, through his father. His mother tried a couple of times to trick the people, but it didn't work, and he was taken away. He never saw his mother again, but he took his son back to the place he was born many years later. Personally, I found that this was an okay book, but it was a bit fast paced for my taste, and I felt that at points, the author missed a whole chunk of information, and missed a huge part in the characters life, leaving me to feel overwhelmed and confused.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is nearly 20 years old and yet feels as fresh as yesterday. A tale of the past, it is a great short story to initiate discussion and the boy's feelings are well expressed, although I would have liked more resolution on how life went for him. I love the feel of the book, the parchment style paper and mono colour art, but for me the cover is a big hurdle - I hate the dark background and feel it is a pessimistic book because of it. It has taken me 20 years to finally look between the covers. It was worthwhile.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

A short story about Australia's "stolen generation", this is simple yet thought-provoking. Hill's handling of the issues shows sensitivity to both the Aboriginal families and to a government who, wrongfully, believed they were doing the right thing in removing children of mixed parentage from their Indigenous families to raise them as white children. Written for children, this will be enjoyed by readers of all ages.

[Terri · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was slightly confusing, and considering it is aimed at primary aged kids, I think it may not be appropriate. There were a lot of metaphors in there, as is with the Aboriginal culture, which went straight over my head. I do think that it told a good story, one that is important for children to learn about. I just don't think it told it very well. Although it was a very quick read, I started and finished it within half an hour.

[MayReads (Warner’s version) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this for school lol but this actually really hurt me inside. I may or may not have shed a tear in class while reading this 👀 but it’s about an an Indigenous Aboriginal Australian who got taken from his family (based on a true story bc many people with one parent white but the other aboriginal parent got taken away a few years back. This rlly hurt. Such a heart-wrenching story and the relationship between the kid (John Jagamarra) and his mom (liyan) 😭

[Pip Tlaskal · Rating 2 out of 5]

My son had to read this for school and I read it too.
I won't give away the trick that the aboriginal woman used to save her son
from the authorities, but I learnt that the aboriginal 'pidgin' language
spoken by the aboriginal people was used by them to mock the whites. The illustrations add
much to the story, another one that you could finish in a night or two.

[Just · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been meaning to read this for a while and had a bit of time today to sit and read it. It tells the story of young John Jagamarra who was part of the Australian "Stolen Generation" - a horrible part of Australia's history. Beautiful read for young children to get a basic understanding of that era in Australia.

[Laura Aase · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a folk tale-ish story about the Australian practice of separating the part white natives from the "pure" natives. The police keep coming to take away a little boy from his mother, and she tricks them by coloring him darker with ashes from the fire - until they trick him back and take him away. Good introduction to the practice - illustrated.

[Allie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stories about Australia's Stolen Generations are really hard to read. Given the number of illustrations and the pacing of the text, it seems more like an intermediate fiction title. It's shelved with the general fiction, which I think is more appropriate to the content. Despite not circulating, I think it's a story worth keeping around. I'll just have to work a little harder to promote it.