First Nations Children's Books Carefully Selected for Every Year Level
Updated: 4 days ago
What if every student at your school explored 12 different First Nations children's books every year? By the time they finish Year 6, they could have read, discussed and learnt from 84 incredible books by and about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
That's the idea behind my First Nations Book of the Month resource!
I've carefully selected and sequenced 96 First Nations children's books across eight learning levels, from Early Childhood through to Year 6. Each year level has 12 books, thoughtfully chosen to suit students' ages, curriculum learning and opportunities to explore Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, histories and perspectives.
And when I say carefully chosen, I really mean it. Let me tell you a little about what went into creating this resource and how you can use it in your classroom or across your school.
More Than a Booklist
I've spent hours reading over 100 First Nations children's books to create something I think will be incredibly useful for Australian teachers!
First Nations Book of the Month is a collection of digital resources featuring 96 carefully selected and sequenced First Nations children's books, with 12 books for every year level from Early Childhood to Year 6.
Each resource includes detailed book information, discussion prompts and curriculum connections to help teachers confidently select and explore First Nations literature with their students.
I've considered everything from age suitability and curriculum connections to significant First Nations dates, diversity of topics and representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives.
The goal? To make it easier for teachers to incorporate more First Nations literature into their classrooms, regularly and meaningfully.
Let me show you what's included and how you could use these resources in your classroom or across your school...
The Thought Behind Every Book
Creating these resources took hours and hours (and hours!) of work.
I already own quite a collection of First Nations children's books, but nowhere near 100! So I made countless trips to my local libraries, borrowing as many as I could and purchasing books they didn't have.
I wanted to read every book properly before recommending it to you.
And plenty of wonderful books didn't make the final selection! Not because they weren't valuable, but because I was looking at how each book fitted into a much bigger picture.
I carefully considered the variety of topics, diversity of authors and illustrators, representation across Australian states and territories, and inclusion of Torres Strait Islander stories and perspectives.
Teachers, I know how busy you are. That's why I've done the hours of reading, researching and planning for you.
What's Actually Included?
Each year-level resource includes a whole-year overview of all 12 books on one page, plus detailed information about every book:
Book information: Cover, author, illustrator and publisher.
My own book summary: Written after reading each book myself.
Why this book, this month? An explanation of the suggested month, including connections to significant dates and events.
Themes and curriculum connections: Ideas for incorporating the book into your teaching.
Three discussion prompts: Questions written specifically for your students' age and learning level.
An internal page spread: A look inside the book so you can see the illustrations, amount of text and layout before sourcing a copy.
Other useful information: Additional considerations and suggestions to support your teaching.
I've also included a handy reference list of significant First Nations dates and events.
And no, you don't have to read the books in the suggested months!
The monthly structure is there to encourage regular reading and provide a helpful starting point. You might prefer to explore books when they connect to your English, HASS, Science or other curriculum units.
The important thing is that First Nations stories are being shared, discussed and enjoyed throughout the year, not just during particular events or celebrations.
The Bigger Picture: 84 Books Across Primary School!
This is something I'm particularly excited about.
I've carefully sequenced the books so that there are no repeated titles across Foundation to Year 6.
Imagine a school where every Foundation class explores the same 12 First Nations books. The following year, those students move into Year 1 and explore 12 completely different books. Then another 12 in Year 2, and so on.
By the time students finish Year 6, they could have explored 84 different First Nations children's books!
There's nothing wrong with revisiting a great book, but there are SO many incredible First Nations stories that students could be missing out on.
Think about the understanding students could develop through years of exploring different First Nations authors, illustrators, stories, histories, languages, cultures and perspectives.
One book can open up an important conversation. Imagine what 84 thoughtfully selected books could do!
Who Could Use These Resources?
While I originally had classroom teachers in mind, I'd LOVE to see these resources implemented across entire schools!
Classroom teachers can use the selected books, curriculum connections and discussion prompts to incorporate First Nations literature into their everyday teaching.
Teacher librarians and library specialists could feature the books in library lessons, create monthly displays and coordinate access to the books across year levels.
First Nations education leads and school leaders could use the resources to support a coordinated whole-school approach, helping ensure students explore a variety of First Nations literature throughout their schooling.
Literacy specialists and curriculum leaders could use the collection to support text selection and identify opportunities to incorporate First Nations perspectives across different learning areas.
Planning Your Book Collection for Next Year?
With Term 4 underway, now is a great time to review your classroom and school library collections.
You could print the whole-year overviews from each of the seven primary year levels, staple them together and have an instant list of 84 recommended First Nations children's books, already organised by year level!
And you don't need to purchase every book at once. Start by identifying which titles your school already owns, borrow others from your local library and gradually build your collection over time.
Don't Forget the FREE Wall Display!
I've also created a FREE First Nations Book of the Month wall display to help bring the resource to life in your classroom or library.
Simply assemble the display on your wall, position the featured book on a stand underneath and change the interchangeable month label as the year progresses.
You could even give students the responsibility of updating the display!
It's a great way to keep First Nations literature visible and encourage students to revisit the book throughout the month.
Ready to Get Started?
First Nations Book of the Month is available as individual digital resources for Early Childhood through to Year 6, or as a Whole School Bundle containing all seven primary year levels (Foundation to Year 6) at a discounted price.
The books themselves aren't included, but you'll have the recommendations, information and planning support you need to start sourcing and exploring them.
Of course, new First Nations books will continue to be published, and I hope teachers keep discovering and sharing them! These resources can also help you identify where new books might fit within your teaching.
There are just too many incredible First Nations children's books for our students to miss out on!
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