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The Lost Girl - Comprehensive Notes

Plot overview

  • The Lost Girl follows a young girl who becomes separated from her community and family and must navigate the landscape alone, seeking return to her people and safety.
  • The narrative traces her journey from being lost to finding her way home, guided by natural signs and a shaping maternal memory.
  • The girl’s experience emphasizes connection to family, land, and collective care as the key to belonging and safety.

Page-by-page notes

  • Page 5: The girl had lost her way. She had wandered away from the Mothers, the Aunties and the Grandmothers, from the Fathers and the Uncles and the Grandfathers.
  • Page 7: She hid in the shadow of a rock, and fell asleep while she waited for her brothers and sisters to find her.
  • Page 10: No one answered when she called, and she could not find her way back to camp.
  • Page 12: The girl wandered alone. She grew thirsty, so she stopped by a waterhole to drink. And then hungry, so she picked some bush food.
  • Page 14: The afternoon grew colder. She huddled beneath an overhanging rock, pressing herself into a hollow that had trapped the warm air of the day.
  • Page 16: Then she saw a crow flying in the sky, flapping from tree to tree and calling ! Caw! Caw!
  • Page 17: The girl followed the crow … through the trees and over the rocks and up the hills…
  • Page 19: until at last she saw the glow of her people's camp fires in the distance.
  • Page 21: The people laughed and cried at once to see the girl was safe. They growled at her for her foolishness, cuddled her and gave her a place by the fire.
  • Page 23–27: Her little brother asked, "Were you scared?" The girl said, "How could I be frightened? I was with my mother. When I was thirsty, she gave me water. When I was hungry, she fed me. When I was cold, she warmed me. And when I was lost, she showed me the way home."
  • Page 29: The book’s promotional material emphasizes the series and its reception, presenting other titles and praise, including endorsements and awards.
  • Page 30: The closing promotional copy reiterates the search for guidance home and the book’s place within Indigenous Australian children's literature; it includes quotes from reviews and award listings.

Characters

  • The Lost Girl (protagonist): a young Aboriginal girl who travels away from the maternal and familial networks and must find her way home.
  • The Mothers, the Aunties, the Grandmothers; the Fathers, the Uncles, the Grandfathers: the extended family network central to the girl’s sense of belonging and to the loss she experiences when separated.
  • The Crow: a guiding figure that appears in the sky and leads her back toward the camp and her people.
  • The People (the community at the camp): respond with relief, care, and warmth when she returns.

Setting and context

  • The setting is a landscape that includes rock shelters, a waterhole, bush food sources, hills, and campfires—a depiction of Indigenous Australian land and living spaces.
  • The narrative situates risk and safety within a community framework, contrasting solitary wandering with collective return.
  • The imagery centers on natural signs (water, weather, animals) as navigational cues and spiritual connections to family and land.

Themes and motifs

  • Belonging and home: the pull of family and community as the girl searches for safety.
  • Guidance and guardianship: maternal presence (even when physically absent) as a guiding force; the crow as a non-human mentor figure.
  • Land as classroom and compass: waterholes, overhangs, rocks, and fires symbolize sustenance and direction.
  • Intergenerational care: the family unit (Mothers, Aunties, Grandmothers, Fathers, Uncles, Grandfathers) embodies collective responsibility.
  • Resilience and return: despite fear and hardship, the journey ends in communal reunion and warmth by the fire.
  • Repetition and call-and-response: echoed throughout the journey to reinforce memory and belonging.

Language, structure, and style

  • The text employs simple, direct language appropriate for a primary school audience, with repetition to emphasize key ideas.
  • Narrative pacing is episodic and quest-like: loss, search, guidance, return.
  • Recurrent motifs include the mother’s care (thirst, hunger, cold, lost and return) and the crow’s guidance.
  • Dialogues and short declarative statements create a lullaby-like rhythm and enhance memorability for young readers.

Symbolism and imagery

  • The rock shadow where she hides and later the hollow that traps warm air: imagery of shelter and cold, safety and vulnerability.
  • The waterhole and bush food: sustainment and the basic needs that frame the journey.
  • The crow: a symbolic guide or totem through which the landscape is navigated.
  • The campfires in the distance: hope, community, and the return to belonging.

Illustrations and design (contextual notes)

  • Illustrations by Leanne Tobin accompany the text and were painted with acrylics.
  • The book’s design includes a dedication and author-illustrator notes that frame the work within Indigenous storytelling and family heritage.
  • Typeset in Joe Overweight; printed and bound in China.
  • The moral rights of the author and illustrator have been asserted.

Publication details and bibliographic information

  • First published in 2014 by Walker Books Australia Pty Ltd. First edition details: Locked Bag 22, Newtown, NSW 2042, Australia. Website: www.walkerbooks.com.au.
  • This edition published in 2017.
  • Text by Ambelin Kwaymullina (2014). Illustrations by Leanne Tobin (2014).
  • All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without permission.
  • National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication entry:
    • Kwaymullina, Ambelin, author. The lost girl / Ambelin Kwaymullina; illustrations by Leanne Tobin.
  • Physical specs:
    • Printed and bound in China.
  • Dedications and dedications’ notes:
    • "This is for all the Aboriginal girls – may you walk tall, stay strong and always be able to find your way home. AK"
    • "For my mother Valerie and Aunty Gloria for their enduring love, strength and tenacity. And my loving son Shay for always being there for me. LT"
  • ISBN information:
    • ISBN: 978-1-921977-06-0 (paperback)
  • Publisher: Walker Books (and subsidiaries) with distribution in London, Boston, Sydney, Auckland.
  • Hard/soft cover promotional catalog entries are included in the edition notes.

Cultural context and significance

  • The book foregrounds Aboriginal Australian family structures and kinship networks, emphasizing collective care and guidance from elders.
  • It reinforces messages about identity, belonging, and returning to one’s community and land.
  • The author’s dedication and acknowledgments highlight personal connections to family and Indigenous heritage.
  • The text and illustrations work together to celebrate Indigenous storytelling and representation in children’s literature.
  • The work is associated with critical reception and award considerations within Australian children’s publishing (see awards section).

Awards and reception details

  • Promotional materials list several accolades and endorsements, indicating positive reception:
    • Short-listed for the Crichton Award for New Illustrators (Children’s Book Council of Australia) – 2015.
    • Short-listed for Speech Pathology Australia Book of the Year Awards – 2015.
    • Other positive reviews describe the book as capturing the beauty and bounty of Australian flora and fauna and as a gentle, lyrical Indigenous narrative suitable for early readers.
  • Publisher and trade reviews emphasize the book’s place within a diverse body of Indigenous children's literature and its suitability for storytime and classroom use.

Related works and cross-promotions (from promotional pages)

  • The back-and-forth promotional content includes references to other titles and series by Walker Books and related authors, such as:
    • Lilli-Pilli's Sister by Anna Branford, illustrated by Linda Catchlove.
    • Sad, the Dog by Sandy Fussell, illustrated by Tull Suwannakit.
    • Helping Little Star by Sally Morgan and Blaze Kwaymullina, illustrated by Sally Morgan.
  • These cross-promotional notes situate The Lost Girl within a broader catalog of Indigenous and culturally diverse children’s literature.

Key discussion questions and learning objectives

  • How does the loss-and-return arc in The Lost Girl reflect broader themes of belonging and identity in Indigenous storytelling?
  • In what ways do the non-human guide (the crow) and the maternal memory (mother’s care through thirst, hunger, cold) function as navigational devices for the protagonist?
  • How does the setting (landscape, water, campfires) contribute to mood, danger, and safety in the narrative?
  • What role do family structures (Mothers, Aunties, Grandmothers, Fathers, Uncles, Grandfathers) play in shaping the girl’s sense of self and her path home?
  • How can the text be used in classrooms to discuss Indigenous Australian culture, kinship systems, and connection to land?