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Ceremony
A joyful celebration of family and culture, the Welcome to Our Country series introduces First Nations history to children. From Australian of the Year Adam Goodes, co-writer Ellie Laing, and Barkindji illustrator David Hardy.
Welcome, children!
Nangga! Nangga! Yakarti!
Tonight will be our Ceremony.
Our family gathers as the fire burns.
The smoke rises up as we take it in turns . . .
Then clapsticks tap - one, two, three -
but a stick is missing! Where could it be?
Joyful and full of fun, Ceremony invites you to celebrate the rich traditions of dance, family, community and caring for Country from the world's oldest continuous culture.
Welcome, children!
Nangga! Nangga! Yakarti!
Tonight will be our Ceremony.
Our family gathers as the fire burns.
The smoke rises up as we take it in turns . . .
Then clapsticks tap - one, two, three -
but a stick is missing! Where could it be?
Joyful and full of fun, Ceremony invites you to celebrate the rich traditions of dance, family, community and caring for Country from the world's oldest continuous culture.
- GenresPicture BooksChildrens
24 pages, Hardcover
Published April 12, 2022
39 people want to read
About the author
Adam Goodes
10 books5 followersAdam Goodes was born in South Australia and moved to Victoria as a young boy where he developed a passion for Australian Rules Football. He holds an elite place in AFL/VFL history as a dual Brownlow Medallist, dual premiership player, four-time All-Australian, member of the Indigenous Team of the Century and representative in the International Rules series. Adam was named the 2014 Australian of the Year in recognition of his community work aimed at empowering the next generation of Indigenous role models as well as his advocacy in the fight against racism. In 2009, Adam set up The Goodes–O’Loughlin Foundation (GO Foundation) with fellow Indigenous teammate Michael O’Loughlin. The GO Foundation’s vision is to create a brighter future for Indigenous children through education.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
October 2, 2022
5 ⭐️
Nangga! Nangga! Yakarti! Welcome children come! Tonight will be the Ceremony. A night where family dances, eats and celebrates around the fires and when stories are passed down from The Elders so that they can one day be shared again with the next generation.
🖤
What a deadly picture book Ceremony is. Written by Adnyamathanha and Narungga man Adam Goodes and Ellie Laing and illustrated by Barkindji man David Hardy, it is the second book in their Welcome To Our Country Series.
💛
Using age appropriate words for young children and featuring stunning illustrations that are both fun and engaging, Ceremony is a short but insightful read about mens and womens ceremonial business when it comes to celebrating the world’s oldest continuing culture and the importance and about passing down traditional stories from one generation to the next. I particularly loved that Ceremony wove a lot of traditional words throughout the text, celebrating Goodes’ Adnyamathanha language. The glossary on both the front and back covers translates these words into English and is made even more special by the beautiful drawings by Hardy.
❤️
A book that will delight young ones and be appreciated by the adults that read it to them; Ceremony is a deadly little read. I’ve heard a rumour that it’s the second book in a series of five and I hope that’s true, because I can’t recommend it highly enough and am very excited knowing that there’s more to come from Goodes, Laing and Hardy.
To play along with my book bingo and to see what else I’m reading, go to #ktbookbingo and @kt_elder on Instagram.
Nangga! Nangga! Yakarti! Welcome children come! Tonight will be the Ceremony. A night where family dances, eats and celebrates around the fires and when stories are passed down from The Elders so that they can one day be shared again with the next generation.
🖤
What a deadly picture book Ceremony is. Written by Adnyamathanha and Narungga man Adam Goodes and Ellie Laing and illustrated by Barkindji man David Hardy, it is the second book in their Welcome To Our Country Series.
💛
Using age appropriate words for young children and featuring stunning illustrations that are both fun and engaging, Ceremony is a short but insightful read about mens and womens ceremonial business when it comes to celebrating the world’s oldest continuing culture and the importance and about passing down traditional stories from one generation to the next. I particularly loved that Ceremony wove a lot of traditional words throughout the text, celebrating Goodes’ Adnyamathanha language. The glossary on both the front and back covers translates these words into English and is made even more special by the beautiful drawings by Hardy.
❤️
A book that will delight young ones and be appreciated by the adults that read it to them; Ceremony is a deadly little read. I’ve heard a rumour that it’s the second book in a series of five and I hope that’s true, because I can’t recommend it highly enough and am very excited knowing that there’s more to come from Goodes, Laing and Hardy.
To play along with my book bingo and to see what else I’m reading, go to #ktbookbingo and @kt_elder on Instagram.
December 14, 2022
This book is absolutely gorgeous from start to finish.
The story is simple, captivating, and wonderful. It has a mix of Aboriginal words and English ones, complete with definitions on the end pages.
The illustrations are stunning. They're so detailed and captivate your attention so wholly.
I am so pleased that this book will be making its way into the hands of many young children. Hopefully they will enjoy it as much as I did.
May 4, 2022
The illustrations in this Welcome to Our Country series (Somebody's Land was the first book) are stunning! Bright, detailed and captivating, they draw the reader in to investigate what is happening in foreground and background. The mix of English and Adnyamathanha language is very well done, with a helpful illustrated glossary.
December 26, 2022
Preparing for the new curriculum to start in 2023! I love all of Adam Goodes’ books. They always have such a child friendly way of explaining important Indigenous ideas and concepts.
September 7, 2022
I am probably the wrong person to review a book aimed at very young and/or low literacy skilled children, with the added goal of encouraging kids to engage with First Nations' peoples' culture. I'm an old white high school teacher who feels far more at home reading Shakespeare, Austen, Orwell, Dickens etc. However I want to open myself up to new reading experiences, including books that are giving voice to Indigenous Australian peoples and perhaps 'speaking' to all children, no matter their age, race or literacy. A book after all is a window into culture, into language, into people's imagination, and it would be presumptuous not to at least try and see what is going on outside my own world.
'Ceremony' is a very colourful and entertaining book that should find a positive response from its main target audience. The vivid illustrations, the simple and somewhat poetic language and the interspersing of Adnyamathanha words throughout the book are all engaging. It was hard to resist the desire to attempt speaking the words included in the story, and that is definitely an aspect of the book worthy of commendation. All Australians need to have some awareness of the relationship between country, people and language; it seems only right and proper to do so.
Also, 'Celebration' makes a rather gentle case for introducing cultural specific information to the reader. Again, if one wishes to have an open and honest dialogue with our First Nation peoples in Australia those of us without such knowledge should at least try to understand the values and beliefs of these nations, these mobs. I suspect younger children will be most open to this aspect of 'Celebration' whereas older readers may struggle.
Having said all this I was somewhat disappointed by the visual language of 'Celebration'. It all seemed a bit of a 'Disney' styled publication and in some ways has a similar feel of cultural misappropriation as say movies like 'Moana'. I understand why 'Celebration' is the way it is; publishers want even their most ideologically sound books to sell and I suspect many many kids and adults will like the depiction of the indigenous world in this book. For me however it seemed all a bit too idealistic, a bit too twee, a bit too influenced by Golden Books and Rousseau's 'noble savage'.
One also has to consider how much of a role does Goodes have in this book. I would like to think he was the key author and fulcrum on which this book was based. However no matter what the context a 'celebrity' author is always going to be more of a marketing tool than a literary talent. Perhaps he served more as an advisor or gave input to his colleagues who helped him in the creative process. One thing for sure; adding Adam Goodes name to 'Celebration' will get many of his fans young and old alike to consider reading it.
As I said at the beginning of this review I'm really not the target audience for 'Celebration'. I believe it has some faults, however what I think is also somewhat immaterial. If whitefella and blackfella kids read it and find a new way to appreciate and learn about indigenous language, custom, culture, then that's a good thing.
'Ceremony' is a very colourful and entertaining book that should find a positive response from its main target audience. The vivid illustrations, the simple and somewhat poetic language and the interspersing of Adnyamathanha words throughout the book are all engaging. It was hard to resist the desire to attempt speaking the words included in the story, and that is definitely an aspect of the book worthy of commendation. All Australians need to have some awareness of the relationship between country, people and language; it seems only right and proper to do so.
Also, 'Celebration' makes a rather gentle case for introducing cultural specific information to the reader. Again, if one wishes to have an open and honest dialogue with our First Nation peoples in Australia those of us without such knowledge should at least try to understand the values and beliefs of these nations, these mobs. I suspect younger children will be most open to this aspect of 'Celebration' whereas older readers may struggle.
Having said all this I was somewhat disappointed by the visual language of 'Celebration'. It all seemed a bit of a 'Disney' styled publication and in some ways has a similar feel of cultural misappropriation as say movies like 'Moana'. I understand why 'Celebration' is the way it is; publishers want even their most ideologically sound books to sell and I suspect many many kids and adults will like the depiction of the indigenous world in this book. For me however it seemed all a bit too idealistic, a bit too twee, a bit too influenced by Golden Books and Rousseau's 'noble savage'.
One also has to consider how much of a role does Goodes have in this book. I would like to think he was the key author and fulcrum on which this book was based. However no matter what the context a 'celebrity' author is always going to be more of a marketing tool than a literary talent. Perhaps he served more as an advisor or gave input to his colleagues who helped him in the creative process. One thing for sure; adding Adam Goodes name to 'Celebration' will get many of his fans young and old alike to consider reading it.
As I said at the beginning of this review I'm really not the target audience for 'Celebration'. I believe it has some faults, however what I think is also somewhat immaterial. If whitefella and blackfella kids read it and find a new way to appreciate and learn about indigenous language, custom, culture, then that's a good thing.
July 30, 2022
Ceremony is the second book in the Welcome to Our Country series and targets very young children to present some of the traditional cermonial practices of the Adnyamathanha people from the Flinders Ranges in South Australia. The book covers the preparation for and participation in the ceremony told predominantly as a descriptive recount form a young participant. The inclusion of the language is significant with illustrated endpapers providing a glossary of terms, thier regular use within the story along with the inclusion of the images within the illustrations, and a QR code that links to Goodes' personal reading of the story.
The book does seem to achieve its purpose. It provides a basic introduction to cultural ceremonial practices to bring family together for celebration. The illustrations are bright and cheerful and support this purpose and wold be well recieved by the very young. However, as with the first book, I found the illustrations comical, with simplistic and stereotyped characterisation of the people - facial expressions and clothing. They made me feel uncomfortable looking at them.
A prefix to the story provides some explanatory background including the regularly repeated phrase of Nangga! Nangga! Yakarti! Societal structures are explained and this provides context for the ceremonial events. Having taken this on board, the separation of male and female business seemed to be a disconnect to the female role of passing on knowledge - how is men's business be learned? I would like to see some further coverage of societal structures in the prefix to more fully underpin the ceremonial practices presented. For teachers wishing to use Ceremony in the classroom there are detailed resources available on the Allen & Unwin website.
The book does seem to achieve its purpose. It provides a basic introduction to cultural ceremonial practices to bring family together for celebration. The illustrations are bright and cheerful and support this purpose and wold be well recieved by the very young. However, as with the first book, I found the illustrations comical, with simplistic and stereotyped characterisation of the people - facial expressions and clothing. They made me feel uncomfortable looking at them.
A prefix to the story provides some explanatory background including the regularly repeated phrase of Nangga! Nangga! Yakarti! Societal structures are explained and this provides context for the ceremonial events. Having taken this on board, the separation of male and female business seemed to be a disconnect to the female role of passing on knowledge - how is men's business be learned? I would like to see some further coverage of societal structures in the prefix to more fully underpin the ceremonial practices presented. For teachers wishing to use Ceremony in the classroom there are detailed resources available on the Allen & Unwin website.
December 3, 2022
I like to buy my young cousins books that show different perspectives than more common and “traditional” culture and/or gender, so I was really excited to find this book!
Ceremony is a short story book with beautiful drawings. I feel it could have been much longer and delved deeper into the various traditions. Maybe that’s being saved for a Part 2?
The one thing I could not get my head around in this book is that there are words for boys & girls as well as young men & young women, but not for grown women? Maybe I’m missing some reason why women aren’t identified but a little disappointing as there’s a word for grown men listed there. My cousins are a girl and boy and I don’t like giving either of them books which miss or ignore girls or grown women (or vice versa). Obviously it’s not good for either of them to see women as less valued/not referred to. I noticed a while after I bought the book for them so hopefully she does not notice. I’ll be more careful about that in the future.
Ceremony is a short story book with beautiful drawings. I feel it could have been much longer and delved deeper into the various traditions. Maybe that’s being saved for a Part 2?
The one thing I could not get my head around in this book is that there are words for boys & girls as well as young men & young women, but not for grown women? Maybe I’m missing some reason why women aren’t identified but a little disappointing as there’s a word for grown men listed there. My cousins are a girl and boy and I don’t like giving either of them books which miss or ignore girls or grown women (or vice versa). Obviously it’s not good for either of them to see women as less valued/not referred to. I noticed a while after I bought the book for them so hopefully she does not notice. I’ll be more careful about that in the future.
August 11, 2023
This book is bright and attractive to children, it is something they will want to grab off the shelf and look at.
It tells the story of a Ceremony of an Australian's 1st Nations Mob from the perspective of an excited child wanting to share their story. It is relatable for kids, you can point out similarities between different ceremonies.
There is also some language featured in this book from the Adnyamathanha society, the language from the Author Adam Goodes nation.
Shortlisted for the Australian Speech Pathology Book of the Year 2023 - Ages 5-8
It tells the story of a Ceremony of an Australian's 1st Nations Mob from the perspective of an excited child wanting to share their story. It is relatable for kids, you can point out similarities between different ceremonies.
There is also some language featured in this book from the Adnyamathanha society, the language from the Author Adam Goodes nation.
Shortlisted for the Australian Speech Pathology Book of the Year 2023 - Ages 5-8
October 28, 2023
Themes:
First Nations Australia
Culture and Language
Australia
A great picture book educating children (and adults!) about Australian First Nations culture. This book focused on Ceremonies, and had beautiful artwork and rhymes. It was great to learn some words in the language of the Adnyamathanha people (Flinders Ranges in South Australia).
*note there are over 350 First Nations groups in Australia, each with their own cultures and language. This book focuses on just one of the many and diverse First Nations groups and people*
First Nations Australia
Culture and Language
Australia
A great picture book educating children (and adults!) about Australian First Nations culture. This book focused on Ceremonies, and had beautiful artwork and rhymes. It was great to learn some words in the language of the Adnyamathanha people (Flinders Ranges in South Australia).
*note there are over 350 First Nations groups in Australia, each with their own cultures and language. This book focuses on just one of the many and diverse First Nations groups and people*
January 3, 2023
Excellent. Really liked the Adnyamathanha words used in the book and appreciated the translations at the beginning accompanied by brilliant illustrations.
November 30, 2023
Wow the illustrations are absolutely stunning! The rhythm and rhyme is lovely and easy to read
January 31, 2024
This is a celebratory book with charming illustrations.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews