Tom Tom

Rosemary Sullivan (author)

Dee Huxley (illustrations)

Working Title Press, Australia: 2008

ISBN: 9781876288983

Genres: picture book, realistic fiction

Issues: aboriginal culture, differences, social condition

CBCA Shortlist, 2009: Book of the Year, Early Childhood

‘Tom Tom lives in Lemonade Springs. Sometimes his mother calls him Tom and sometimes she calls him Tommy. But his two sisters and three brothers call him Tom Tom.'

This simple, descriptive narrative looks at the slow flow of life for a young aboriginal boy. While he attends school, it is clear that his family and the complex relationships of his ‘mob' is at the heart of who he is. As is noted on the dedication page, ‘Aboriginal people have complex and extensive kinship patterns, and this is reflected in the terms they use to describe family relationships.'

Although it lacks narrative drive and tension, the purpose of this text is more an exploration of a parallel culture, a sharing of experiences, than a story. For that reason Tom Tom reads more like an information text (biography) than a narrative.

Huxley's mixed media illustrations are superb, filled with Tom Tom's love of the bush and his extended family and the pleasure he takes in each part of his day. The gentle colours and beauty of each image reflects Tom Tom's innocence and the simplicity of his life.