Our Dance

by Jacinta Daniher and Taylor Hampton

illustrated by Janelle Burger

Published by Lothian Children's Books (Hachette Australia)
ISBN 9780734423429

Movement and moving is often spoken about for encouraging young children's learning. Our Dance does just this. It encourages little ones from the age 3 and upwards, to jump up and get moving and participating in dance, while having loads of fun.

We really enjoyed reading this vibrantly happy book, teaching kids on two levels.

It is colourfully illustrated in the colours of the outback as kids of all ages are encouraged to learn how to dance learning about the ancestors, the Dreamtime and the familiar animals around them, the ones we all know and love.

No one is left out, they are all invited to move like an eagle, slither like a snake, jump like a kangaroo, run like an emu. It looks like they are all enjoying themselves, dancing, learning different movements and being at one with nature and their surroundings and learning about their history.

This simple but valuable story is sheer good fun and happiness.

The authors

Taylor Hampton is a proud Ngiyampaa/Wiradjuri man and Jacinta Daniher is an early childhood educator.

Taylor and Jacinta have a passion for educating young people about Aboriginal culture. In 2019, they established Birrang Cultural Connections to offer cultural workshops in education settings, with the vision of creating content that is educational, interactive and exciting. They have two children, Ella and Arlo, who have inspired them to create picture books that reflect their culture and experiences as young Aboriginal children growing up in Australia today.

The illustrator

Janelle Burger is an Indigenous Australian (Noongar) and Italian illustrator based in Paris, France. Her work is influenced by pop culture, fashion, video games and food. She has worked for a variety of clients, including creating gift cards for Papyrus, fine art prints for Rosenstiels, online illustrations for Tamu McPherson's website All the Pretty Birds, and illustrating the book Get Changed by fashion stylist Kat Farmer. When she's not drawing, Janelle likes to ride her bike around Paris, taking photos of cats and old men wearing berets whilst holding a baguette in their hands.