I love this story about Ruth’s day out with her mother and three brothers to the cove near where they live at The Reserve, La Perouse. It is about connection to Country and place, as Ruth’s mother introduces her children to traditional fishing methods.

The story with its vibrant illustrations is a valuable teaching tool. The reader learns to identify flannel flowers, pink boronia and tea tree bushes – commonly seen in the Sydney area. I love how the children collect wood and make a fire on the beach, and clean the muckendy (rock cod) their mother has caught.

She shows them how to collect salt flakes from the rocks and find muttonfish (abalone) on the undersides of rocks. On the way home she crushes the leaf of an ancient eucalypt between her fingers and the children smell the strong scent of the oil.

Muttonfish Magic is a precious and captivating story sharing First Nations culture and language.

Reviewed by Rosamund Burton
Age Guide 4+

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ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Aunty Ruth Simms was born on The Reserve in La Perouse in 1941 as one of nine children. She grew up with a strong connection to both Larpa and Jerrinja cultures. From a young age she learnt about traditional bush foods, language and medicines and went to sleep on ‘goonjarn’ stories (ancient spirit stories). Today, Ruth lives in Nowra with her daughter Trudy and works as an Aboriginal Education Officer (AEO) in local primary schools. She has a Diploma of Education and is passionate about embedding Indigenous perspectives into the curriculum. She is currently the longest serving AEO at the NSW Department of Education and remains a strong advocate for her people. In 2012, Aunty Ruth was awarded an Order of Australia Medal (OAM) for her contributions to education.

Read more about Aunty Ruth Simms

Lucy Robertson is a primary school Teacher Librarian and has always been passionate about good stories. She grew up on a vineyard and winery in Mudgee before studying journalism and creative writing, later completing an education degree after a move to the South Coast surfing village of Culburra Beach. When Lucy first started working with Aunty Ruth, she was struck by her beautiful stories of fishing, crabbing and shell work with her family in La Perouse and ‘The Dock’ in Orient Point, eventually convincing her to start writing them down for future generations.

Visit Lucy Robertson’s website here

Jasmine Seymour is a Dharug woman and descendant of Maria Lock, who was the daughter of Yarramundi, the Boorooberongal elder who had met Governor Phillip on the banks of the Hawkesbury River in 1791. Maria was the first Aboriginal woman to be educated by the Blacktown Native Institute. She was married to carpenter and convict, Robert Lock and their union resulted in thousands of descendants who can all trace their Dharug heritage back past Yarramundi. Jasmine is a member of the Dharug Custodian Aboriginal Corporation. It is Jasmine’s wish that through her books, everyone will know that the Dharug mob are still here, still strong. Jasmine is a primary school teacher in the Hawkesbury area of NSW.