Black Cockatoo is a vignette that follows Mia, a young Aboriginal girl as she explores the fragile connections of family and culture. Mia is a 13-year-old girl from a remote community in the Kimberley. She is saddened by the loss of her brother as he distances himself from the family. She feels powerless to change the things she sees around her -- until one day she rescues her totem animal, the dirran black cockatoo, and soon discovers her own inner strength. A small tale on the power of standing up for yourself, culture and ever-present family ties.

Shortlisted for children's book of the year, this very short ( 62p.) book follows Mia after she rescues a black cockatoo injured by her wayward brother Jy. Mia lives in a remote outback town and is about to finish Grade 6 & move to the city to attend Year 7 boarding school. She is struggling with the 2 worlds she must inhabit - the old world of her indigenous culture and the new world of white, modern society, as she sees merit in both. In fact, the black cockatoo is actually a forbidden animal by her family but the modern girl in her can't let it die from cruelty, so she looks after it in a cage in the back garden. Meanwhile, her brother seems to be rejecting his culture and the elders all together.
A short, touching story where the cockatoo echoes Mia's feeling of constraint in her tiny town ( she wants to see other places, other countries) but at the same time, she loves her Country. Full of text from the remote Kimberley region's clans and beautiful illustrations, this book captures the dilemmas faced by young indigenous Australians today. Would be suitable as an Easy reader for Year 7 students.
(I just wish all the illustrations were in colour like the front page.) ( )