It’s Story Time!

Exciting things are happening at the National Library of Australia with a new exhibition commencing on the 22 August. This week Dr Belle Alderman AM shares insights into this exciting collaboration with the National Centre for Australian Children’s Literature and a taste of what’s happening during the exhibition which runs until 9 February 2020. A calendar event for Canberrans and visitors to our national capital.

Design adapted from: Koala Shape Book,
(Sydney: John Sands Ltd., 1931), nla.cat-vn4272738 

It’s story time! TheNational Library of Australia and the National Centre for Australian Children’sLiterature have collaborated to create Story Time: Australian Children’s Literature. This exhibition is a celebration of the creative art of Australian stories written and illustrated for young people. Featured are the oldest, newest, most-loved and greatly admired children’s authors and illustrators over time. Three years in the making, this large exhibition features some 270 items including First Nation stories and themes of family and friends, humour, environment and animals, imaginary worlds and adventure.

Special features include the NCACL’s unique strengths—the creative process. Here is the jacket cover for The Eleventh Hour illustrated by Graeme Base, artworks and dummies revealing emerging ideas for Max and Silver Buttons by Bob Graham, doodles and sketches for Sophie Scott Goes South by Alison Lester and artworks for Waltzing Matilda created by Freya Blackwood. Shaun Tan has loaned works showing his creative process for the mesmerising The Arrival and the moving story of The Lost Thing. Earlier contemporary favourites include a rare preliminary artwork for Gum-nut babies created in 1915.

The National Library is sharing treasures from its manuscript collections of authors and illustrators creating in the mid-20^th century. Pour over the manuscripts for Ash Road by Ivan Southall, The Nargun and the Stars by Patricia Wrightson, the Silver Brumby stories by Elyne Mitchell, works by Joan Phipson and Margaret Horder, then savour the manuscript of My Place, a contemporary classic written by Nadia Wheatley and illustrated by Donna Rawlins.

Rarely seen and an unforgettable gem is A Mother’s offering to her children (1840) Australia’s first published book for children. This copy reveals the coloured in, neatly handwritten, signature of its young reader.

Outstanding items include original artworks by Goobalathaldin (Dick Roughsey) for The Rainbow Serpent (1975) featuring alongside Jeannie Baker’s relief collage works of art.

Enjoy one of Australia’s most successful picture books, Possum Magic (1983) and Mem Fox’s manuscript with that unforgettable post-it note indicating publishers rejected this now world-famous story many times. The inimitable Mem Fox again gives us Where is the Green Sheep? embellished with several of Judy Horacek’s illustrations.

Who is not a collector of favourite mementoes? Throughout Sharing Stories is a large collection of ephemera inspired by children’s books. Look out for collector cards with lenticular covers, map for Deltora Quest, 750-piece puzzle for May Gibbs, board game, posters, plates, theatre playbills, plush toys, souvenirs, stickers, door hanger, badge, fabric, bookmarks and calendars all immortalising Australian children’s books.

Sharing Stories engages children in this exhibition through panels inviting them to think creatively about objects on display.  A children’s playroom offers opportunities to watch Story Box Library films of story readings of favourite stories on exhibit with the added enticement for children to create their own stories and artworks.

Story Time is an exhibition to linger in the memory especially personal favourites. Visitors will want to return during its five-months’ showing from 22 August 2019 – 9 February 2020. There is a personal memento—Stephanie Owen Reeder’s Story Time Stars, a ‘companion’ book to the exhibition, ideal for sharing with the entire family. Here are 60 favourite children’s book characters from The Magic Pudding (Norman Lindsay) to Mr Huff (Anna Walker) appearing over the last 100 years.  Story Time Stars concludes with short essays on two of Australia’s major collections of Australian children’s literature, the National Library of Australia and the National Centre for Australian Children’s Literature.

Dr Belle Alderman AM

Director, National Centre for Australian Children’s Literature Inc (NCACL)

Web: https://www.ncacl.org.au/

FB: https://www.facebook.com/NCACLAustralia/

Twitter: @NatCentAusChLit

Editor's note: Check back in to the NLA website for updates and forthcoming children's literature related events.

Wonderous Wonderland

With a bit of meandering at the start, Jennie shares her recent visit to Wonderland, Alice’s magical world in the heart of Melbourne.

I had an overnighter in Melbourne this last week that turned into an ace literary experience. The purpose was to attend a Reading Leaders event to listen to an amazing speaker, Donalyn Miller, who is a mighty advocate for reading – free choice, high interest, every day, in school and at home. She was brilliant, but not the focus of this post. So as the King gravely said: “Begin at the beginning, and go on till you come to the end: then stop.”

With most of a day to fill before heading home the day after, I headed to the Australian Centre for Moving Image (ACMI) – across the road from Flinders Street Station to enter Alice’s wonderful world of Wonderland. Heading down the stairway into the rabbit hole is just like stepping into … wonderland!

With the Cheshire Cat looking on ominously, map in hand and an explanation of how it can trigger magical mirror moments I choose a door and start to explore.

Bit which door??????

“Alice: Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?
The Cheshire Cat: That depends a good deal on where you want to get to.
Alice: I don't much care where.
The Cheshire Cat: Then it doesn't much matter which way you go.
Alice: ...So long as I get somewhere.
The Cheshire Cat: Oh, you're sure to do that, if only you walk long enough.”   

This interactive exhibition commences with informative panels about Lewis Carroll, his craft and photographic exploits. As you progress through Wonderland you move through different episodes in the story – the pool of tears, the caterpillar, the house and elixir and ...  so much more. Each area includes a loop of film mashups of different versions of Alice from 1903 to the more recent Johnny Depp spectacular. Watching a succession of young Alice’s reciting the same words in multiple interpretations was 'Curiouser and curiouser! … 

Interactive opportunities are set up throughout your journey. The narrow house to stand within to make you ‘grow tall’ and the amazing room for the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party – I went to tea three times – because “It's always tea-time.”

Visit the Queen’s croquet ground, decorate your map, enter into ‘the machine’ and become a soldier card on the croquet field – live the magic!

Original props and costumes, miniature stage sets, puppets, models and figurines – ACMI have done an amazing job sourcing authentic items from past film versions to compile historical research, photography and film footage. This is a unique, fascinating and highly engaging trip into Wonderland that you should try very, very hard to visit if Melbourne is on your agenda before the 7 October.

ACMI, through their vivid visualisations have exemplified Alice’s own views “And what is the use of a book,” thought Alice, “without pictures or conversations?” —and ACMI has made this a rich text indeed! This journey into Wonderland continues at home when you unlock the ACMI site and with the unique magic key (on your map) to access your soldier portrait and explore the world and revisit much of the information.

If you are heading to Melbourne put this on your "must do" list as it closes on 7 October before heading overseas for an international tour.

Jennie Bales

“Have i gone mad?
I’m afraid so, but let me tell you something, the best people usually are.”