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The River
The River takes the listener on a journey of what their eyes can see and their ears can hear. See green ants crawling, hear frogs croaking, a goanna running, a fish splashing ...
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Published July 1, 2025
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About the author
Sally Morgan
415 books138 followersSally Morgan is recognised as one of Australia's best known Aboriginal artists and writers. She is one of a number of successful urban Aboriginal artists.
Sally was born in Perth in 1951, the eldest of five children. As a child she found school difficult because of questions from other students about her appearance and family background. She understood from her mother that she and her family were from India. However, when Sally was fifteen she learnt that she and her sister were in fact of Aboriginal descent, from the Palku people of the Pilbara.
This experience of her hidden origins, and subsequent quest for identity, was the stimulus for her first book My Place published in 1987. It tells the story of her self discovery through reconnection with her Aboriginal culture and community. The book was an immediate success and has since sold over half a million copies in Australia. It has also been published in the United States, Europe and Asia.
Her second book Wanamurraganya was published in 1989. It is the biography of her grandfather, Jack McPhee. She has also written five books for children.
As well as writing, Sally Morgan has established an international reputation as an artist. She has works in numerous private and public collections in Australia and the United States, including the Australian National Gallery and the Dobell Foundation collection. Her work is particularly popular in the United States. Her work as an artist is excellently described and illustrated in the book Art of Sally Morgan.
She has received many awards, including from the Human Rights and Equal Opportunities Commission. As a part of the celebration in 1993 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, her print Outback was selected by international art historians as one of 30 paintings and sculptures for reproduction on a stamp representing an article of the Declaration.
My Place remains her most influential work, not only because of its very wide popularity but also because it provided a new model for other writers, particularly those of indigenous background.
She is currently Director of the Centre for Indigenous History and Arts at The University of Western Australia.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Sally was born in Perth in 1951, the eldest of five children. As a child she found school difficult because of questions from other students about her appearance and family background. She understood from her mother that she and her family were from India. However, when Sally was fifteen she learnt that she and her sister were in fact of Aboriginal descent, from the Palku people of the Pilbara.
This experience of her hidden origins, and subsequent quest for identity, was the stimulus for her first book My Place published in 1987. It tells the story of her self discovery through reconnection with her Aboriginal culture and community. The book was an immediate success and has since sold over half a million copies in Australia. It has also been published in the United States, Europe and Asia.
Her second book Wanamurraganya was published in 1989. It is the biography of her grandfather, Jack McPhee. She has also written five books for children.
As well as writing, Sally Morgan has established an international reputation as an artist. She has works in numerous private and public collections in Australia and the United States, including the Australian National Gallery and the Dobell Foundation collection. Her work is particularly popular in the United States. Her work as an artist is excellently described and illustrated in the book Art of Sally Morgan.
She has received many awards, including from the Human Rights and Equal Opportunities Commission. As a part of the celebration in 1993 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, her print Outback was selected by international art historians as one of 30 paintings and sculptures for reproduction on a stamp representing an article of the Declaration.
My Place remains her most influential work, not only because of its very wide popularity but also because it provided a new model for other writers, particularly those of indigenous background.
She is currently Director of the Centre for Indigenous History and Arts at The University of Western Australia.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
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December 11, 2021This review was first published on the Underground Writers website: http://underground-writers.org/review...
Sally Morgan and Johnny Warrkatja Malibirr’s new children’s picture book The River is a wonderful new addition to the award-winning array of texts published by Magabala books. The River is a visual journey that encourages children to describe and think about what they hear and see when looking at wildlife and nature. The combination of beautiful illustrations by Johnny Warrkatja Malibirr and the guiding and encouraging words from Sally Morgan throughout makes this picture book a fantastic learning tool that will be sure to engage all young children.
The River is expertly illustrated by Yolŋu man — Johnny Warrkatja Malibirr, from the Ganalbingu clan — in a colour palette of sky blue, shades of brown, and ochres. There is a consistent style throughout, which draws the reader from one page to the next. Every illustration is full of life, and I found the patterns and colours incredibly captivating. The river itself is depicted as a lively and abundant life source where many animals can be found. Some animals may be more familiar than others to the target audience, but that isn’t a drawback; rather, it encourages the learning of Indigenous wildlife beyond the conventional ‘farm animal’ or ‘zoo animal’ books.
Sally Morgan’s writing seeks to create a back-and-forth verbal exercise between adult and child. The River would be a great book to read aloud to young kindy-aged children who are learning about their senses like seeing and hearing, as well as learning to identify animals and the sounds and movements they make.
“I love the river near my home. I look with my eyes, I listen with my ears, I learn about the life of the river.”
Each double-page spread depicts a different animal or insect and prompts the reader to articulate what they can either see or hear. The River is an excellent educational tool that supports a child’s early learning. If you loved Sally Morgan and Johnny Warrkatja Malibirr’s previous collaboration Little Bird’s Day, then make sure you buy a copy of The River!
Sally Morgan and Johnny Warrkatja Malibirr’s new children’s picture book The River is a wonderful new addition to the award-winning array of texts published by Magabala books. The River is a visual journey that encourages children to describe and think about what they hear and see when looking at wildlife and nature. The combination of beautiful illustrations by Johnny Warrkatja Malibirr and the guiding and encouraging words from Sally Morgan throughout makes this picture book a fantastic learning tool that will be sure to engage all young children.
The River is expertly illustrated by Yolŋu man — Johnny Warrkatja Malibirr, from the Ganalbingu clan — in a colour palette of sky blue, shades of brown, and ochres. There is a consistent style throughout, which draws the reader from one page to the next. Every illustration is full of life, and I found the patterns and colours incredibly captivating. The river itself is depicted as a lively and abundant life source where many animals can be found. Some animals may be more familiar than others to the target audience, but that isn’t a drawback; rather, it encourages the learning of Indigenous wildlife beyond the conventional ‘farm animal’ or ‘zoo animal’ books.
Sally Morgan’s writing seeks to create a back-and-forth verbal exercise between adult and child. The River would be a great book to read aloud to young kindy-aged children who are learning about their senses like seeing and hearing, as well as learning to identify animals and the sounds and movements they make.
“I love the river near my home. I look with my eyes, I listen with my ears, I learn about the life of the river.”
Each double-page spread depicts a different animal or insect and prompts the reader to articulate what they can either see or hear. The River is an excellent educational tool that supports a child’s early learning. If you loved Sally Morgan and Johnny Warrkatja Malibirr’s previous collaboration Little Bird’s Day, then make sure you buy a copy of The River!
November 22, 2021
Although firmly situated in Australia with its animals and indigenous artwork this is an engaging look at the natural world through the eyes and ears of a curious and observant child. the simple and repetitive refrain starting with I look, I listen, I learn, the reader is introduced to the a range of river life - in, and on the banks of the river.
Although the information portrayed in the text is accurate, the style of writing is a recount of experiences from the child's point of view so an informative picture book.
Although the information portrayed in the text is accurate, the style of writing is a recount of experiences from the child's point of view so an informative picture book.
June 13, 2025
A beautiful Indigenous book filled with beautiful Indigenous drawings about a child living next to the river and the various animals he sees and hears.
August 1, 2025
Another wonderful collaboration between artist Johnny Warrkatya Malibirr and Sally Morgan. In the vivid depictions of the animals and surroundings of the river, we look, listen and learn!
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews