What do you think?
Rate this book
Sand Swimmers:The Secret Life of Australia's Dead Heart
Following in the footsteps of the explorer, Charles Sturt, the Australian desert and its array of fascinating creatures is explored and beautifully illustrated. The ingenious methods which desert creatures employ to survive in their harsh habitat are described.
32 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1999
35 people want to read
About the author
Narelle Oliver
26 books3 followersNarelle Oliver (1960 - 2016) was an Australian artist, print maker and award-winning children's author-illustrator.
Narelle Oliver was born on 25 February 1960 and grew up in Toowoomba in south east Queensland.
Oliver majored in design and printmaking while studying for a Bachelor of Education degree. She began her career teaching at the Queensland School for the Deaf.
Oliver was an educator and a committed environmentalist. As an illustrator, Oliver combined linocut, watercolour, pastels, collage and digitally-enhanced photographs in her work. She used many environmental themes drawing on the flora and fauna of Australia.
Oliver's first book, Leaf Tail, was published in 1989.
Narelle Oliver was born on 25 February 1960 and grew up in Toowoomba in south east Queensland.
Oliver majored in design and printmaking while studying for a Bachelor of Education degree. She began her career teaching at the Queensland School for the Deaf.
Oliver was an educator and a committed environmentalist. As an illustrator, Oliver combined linocut, watercolour, pastels, collage and digitally-enhanced photographs in her work. She used many environmental themes drawing on the flora and fauna of Australia.
Oliver's first book, Leaf Tail, was published in 1989.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
February 5, 2016
This is a cleverly put together and thoughtful book that presents various perspectives on the landforms, plants and animals found in the dry centre or supposed ‘dead heart’ of Australia.
For many years, central Australia was a mystery to European colonists and explorers who sought the inland sea. They assumed mistakenly that westerly flowing rivers would lead to a sea and I imagine many dreamt of wealth to be made from such a discovery. Largely told from the point of view of early British explorer Charles Sturt, who searched in vain for the elusive sea. Oliver draws some interesting parallels between Sturt’s expedition and the desert animals, such as taking refuge underground to escape the worst of the heat. I never realised that Sturt’s party dug an underground room and stayed put for six months. Clearly, the desert was not to Sturt’s liking. At one point he declared the endless dunes and huge waves of sand to be as hot and desolate as the ‘entrance to Hell.’ I really like the use of primary sources, especially as Sturt viewed the desert so starkly and dreadfully. Oliver also touches on geological time and the secret life in the desert, of course known to the Indigenous people who lived there for thousands of years and understood the plants and hidden creatures. The use of names from language, such as Tjala for Honey Ants and Wakati for Portulaca seed, both from Pitjantjatjara is welcome.
A very impressive book; I can imagine some will love finding the camouflage animals in Oliver’s detailed artwork and others will enjoy her use of quotation. As a primary school teacher, who believes it’s important to problematicise the idea of explorers ‘discovering Australia’ this book provides a useful and respectful range of perspectives.
For all his efforts, Sturt did have an iconic desert flower named after him.
For many years, central Australia was a mystery to European colonists and explorers who sought the inland sea. They assumed mistakenly that westerly flowing rivers would lead to a sea and I imagine many dreamt of wealth to be made from such a discovery. Largely told from the point of view of early British explorer Charles Sturt, who searched in vain for the elusive sea. Oliver draws some interesting parallels between Sturt’s expedition and the desert animals, such as taking refuge underground to escape the worst of the heat. I never realised that Sturt’s party dug an underground room and stayed put for six months. Clearly, the desert was not to Sturt’s liking. At one point he declared the endless dunes and huge waves of sand to be as hot and desolate as the ‘entrance to Hell.’ I really like the use of primary sources, especially as Sturt viewed the desert so starkly and dreadfully. Oliver also touches on geological time and the secret life in the desert, of course known to the Indigenous people who lived there for thousands of years and understood the plants and hidden creatures. The use of names from language, such as Tjala for Honey Ants and Wakati for Portulaca seed, both from Pitjantjatjara is welcome.
A very impressive book; I can imagine some will love finding the camouflage animals in Oliver’s detailed artwork and others will enjoy her use of quotation. As a primary school teacher, who believes it’s important to problematicise the idea of explorers ‘discovering Australia’ this book provides a useful and respectful range of perspectives.
For all his efforts, Sturt did have an iconic desert flower named after him.
July 29, 2021
Oddly this book centres Sturt and his team and their ignorance and thousands of years of Indigenous knowledge are relegated to a note in passing. It's good to point out that the white explorers didn't see everything but the weighting given to them surprises me given the wealth of life that is revealed when you look past their assumptions.
I'd probably still use this book but critically
I'd probably still use this book but critically
August 3, 2020
Beautiful Australian picture book for our desert study.
February 26, 2015
Set in the ferocious center of Australia, this book looks at one of the harshest climates in the world and the animals that not only survive there but thrive there. The “Dead Heart” of Australia can appear completely uninhabited at first, but this book has us look closer and see what the Aboriginal people have known for thousands of years. The huge salt lake has lizards, shrimp and frogs if you know where to look. The mulga scrublands have tangled timber but that is also shelter for spiders, ants, geckos, and birds. Down deep under the earth, there are even more animals sheltering. Even the oceans of rock and sand have animals living there. Explore an amazing ecosystem along with early explorers of Australia who failed to see the creatures hiding around them.
Oliver takes readers on an amazing journey through various regions of the center of Australia. Even the rocks and sand and plants themselves are wild and different from other parts of the world. Everything seems to combine to make the most uninhabitable ecosystem in the world, but that’s not true if you look deeper. Oliver takes readers deeper into the desert and readers will discover the beauty and life hidden in this desolate landscape.
Oliver’s illustrations combine line drawings of the creatures with smudged drawings of the early explorers. The combination of the crisp line drawings with the more smudged ones is very successful, giving readers a taste of both the animals themselves and the history.
A brilliant look at a fascinating habitat, this book goes far beyond the stereotypical kangaroos and koala bears of Australia. Appropriate for ages 6-9.
Oliver takes readers on an amazing journey through various regions of the center of Australia. Even the rocks and sand and plants themselves are wild and different from other parts of the world. Everything seems to combine to make the most uninhabitable ecosystem in the world, but that’s not true if you look deeper. Oliver takes readers deeper into the desert and readers will discover the beauty and life hidden in this desolate landscape.
Oliver’s illustrations combine line drawings of the creatures with smudged drawings of the early explorers. The combination of the crisp line drawings with the more smudged ones is very successful, giving readers a taste of both the animals themselves and the history.
A brilliant look at a fascinating habitat, this book goes far beyond the stereotypical kangaroos and koala bears of Australia. Appropriate for ages 6-9.
January 25, 2015
Narelle Oliver weaves a sophisticated and fascinating story of the secret life of Australia's desert wilderness. The illustrations are gorgeous - reminiscent both of woodcuts and the work of Joyce Sidman. The language is poetic, with strong rhythms, and tells a detailed story of a harsh and fascinating area of the world. "In the center of Australia lies a strange desert wilderness"...then some powerful description, a page turn and "It has not always been like this." Oliver takes the reader back in time to the Miocene, when the center of Australia was a great inland sea full of remarkable animals. We follow the changes as the land dried and then follow the journey of a European explorer convinced there was still an inland sea. The fascinating juxtaposition of the historic European perspective and the modern and aboriginal understanding of the rich adaptations of life is provocative. Drawings and maps of explorer Charles Sturt's journey run along the bottom of pages accompanied by evocative quotes taken from his journal. The top two thirds of the page are filed with detailed nature studies where readers try to find the camouflaged animals and consult the keys, boxes and sidebars to learn more about the improbable and fascinating creatures. An extensive bibliography, index of animals with latin names, an author's note on her journey to central Australia and photographs of some of the more intriguing animals rounds out the book. The mix of animals, from thorny devils to adorable big eyed, fat tailed, mouse-like marsupials,gives the book broad appeal for animals lovers or kids with an interest in explores, exteem environments or science.
August 28, 2015
The book explains information about Australia’s desert and the plants and animals you can find. It’s a fun book to read because you get to follow with explorer Charles Sturt to learn about the desert and surprises he uncovered.
Other kids will enjoy the book because on some pages you get to play eye-spy and find insects and animals in a specific habitat. It was fun to have my parents try to pronounce some of the animal and plant names.
The book has many interesting aspects – like the great illustrations and amazing stories about the ways that life survives in the desert. At first I thought the book was going to be boring and more for adults. But there’s really fun information, lots of things to learn about on each page, and great pictures. There are also maps on a few pages that show certain areas in Australia where you might find unseen animals and their shelter.
There are gross-looking animals that I’ve never seen before. I never knew there was so much life living in the desert. It’s the first time I’ve learned about salt oceans in the desert. That’s what makes the book really interesting, learning about all of the cool life and landscapes in Australia.
Charlotte P., age 7, Northern Colorado Mensa
Other kids will enjoy the book because on some pages you get to play eye-spy and find insects and animals in a specific habitat. It was fun to have my parents try to pronounce some of the animal and plant names.
The book has many interesting aspects – like the great illustrations and amazing stories about the ways that life survives in the desert. At first I thought the book was going to be boring and more for adults. But there’s really fun information, lots of things to learn about on each page, and great pictures. There are also maps on a few pages that show certain areas in Australia where you might find unseen animals and their shelter.
There are gross-looking animals that I’ve never seen before. I never knew there was so much life living in the desert. It’s the first time I’ve learned about salt oceans in the desert. That’s what makes the book really interesting, learning about all of the cool life and landscapes in Australia.
Charlotte P., age 7, Northern Colorado Mensa
June 10, 2016
Summary: Sand Swimmers juxtaposes the difficult and disappointing journey of a group of European explorers as they cross Australia's "dead heart" desert, against the myriad of well-hidden, well-adapted plants and animals that thrive there. The book also captures the geological history of this land.
My comments: I thoroughly enjoyed traveling through Australia's Dead Heart desert with Narelle Oliver. Her realistic illustrations and well-researched text share a myriad of unfamiliar organisms, and reveal details of their extraordinary lives. The story of rich life in the desert starkly contrasts with the journey of the explorers, told mostly through sketches, quotes and maps, and the contrast reminds us to look closely and question deeply before calling an environment lifeless.
My comments: I thoroughly enjoyed traveling through Australia's Dead Heart desert with Narelle Oliver. Her realistic illustrations and well-researched text share a myriad of unfamiliar organisms, and reveal details of their extraordinary lives. The story of rich life in the desert starkly contrasts with the journey of the explorers, told mostly through sketches, quotes and maps, and the contrast reminds us to look closely and question deeply before calling an environment lifeless.
June 29, 2015
The text and the illustrations use the expedition of explorer Charles Sturt as a viewpoint to explain the animals, plants, and unusual geography of central Australia.
Sturt is not introduced at the beginning of the story, so that part seems less focused.
Simple pencil drawings, including maps, of the exploration appear at the bottom of each two-page spread. The middle and top of the pages show scenic broad overviews and small focus boxes with specific species.
Sturt is not introduced at the beginning of the story, so that part seems less focused.
Simple pencil drawings, including maps, of the exploration appear at the bottom of each two-page spread. The middle and top of the pages show scenic broad overviews and small focus boxes with specific species.
December 23, 2014
Fascinating on close inspection with an interesting design and very unusual information. While the palette is perfectly appropriate for the setting, it also lends a somewhat bland and old-fashioned appearance to the pages. While this one may not hold the casual reader, I think it will be appreciated by those kids who love the intricate details and facts about animals and exotic locations.
March 23, 2015
While I found this interesting, it wasn't the most fantastic book I've ever read. Even for a junior-non the information was very vague and I found the illustrations distracting, rather than informative.
December 17, 2014
Life in Australia's desert wilderness and one of the harshest environments on Earth. A fascinating, intricately illustrated introduction to a mysterious ecosystem.
February 22, 2015
Illustrations are gorgeous, good facts. but I wanted the writing to have a bit more zing.
March 19, 2015
Any book that teaches me something new, no matter the level, is a good investment of time.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews