First Nations author-illustrator, Melissa-Jane Fogarty, tells a poignant own voice story of the power of language with One Word – a moving picture book of acknowledging the past and moving forward, one word at a time.
When young Myra stays with her beloved Pop, it feels like home. On a phone call, ‘Myra imagines Pop’s voice pulling the words from the very depths of the earth’, hearing him speak an unfamiliar, yet peaceful language. Myra asks him to teach her just one word, but Pop becomes dismissive. Myra notices his pain. So do we. He eventually reveals his hidden past – The Stolen Generation and the punishment endured by Indigenous Australians for speaking their first languages. ‘Gumera,’ he whispers. Myra has inspired her grandfather to reclaim his language – with just one word. Gumera means love in Yugambeh.
Fogarty’s complementary narrative and smooth watercolour and line illustrations harmoniously capture the warmth, homeliness, Culture and love. She also weaves in beautiful etchings and splashes of Aboriginal-inspired nature when Myra feels most connected to her Pop and their ancestry. These qualities, and the author’s note, are integral to understanding the history and the journey towards reclaiming what was taken.
A tender yet powerful story of walking the path to restitution, together.
Reviewed by Romi Sharp
Age Guide 5+
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Melissa-Jane Fogarty is a kidlit author/illustrator and freelance editor and writer. She’s of Mununjali descent, living on Darkinjung land, NSW, Australia. She has a Masters in Publishing from the University of Sydney, a Bachelor of Social Science from the University of Newcastle and is a graduate of the Children’s Book Academy as well as The Australian Writers’ Centre. Her most recent picture book was Narm-Jaap: A Flinders Street Station History. When not sketching, writing or editing, Melissa is hanging with her husband, two children, two fur babies and drinking copious amounts of tea.
Visit Melissa-Jane Fogarty’s website here.
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