Book Review: Australia Illustrated by Tania McCartney
Tania McCartney is an Australian artist who has illustrated many books. Her journey also includes a lot of other creative ventures, including encouraging others to draw and illustrate. Anyone who helps promote creativity in Australia gets a big thumbs up from us!
Australia Illustrated is a beautifully illustrated book dedicated to bringing the character of Australia to life through McCartney’s whimsy, watercolour images and digital art. Each section of this vast and varied country is explored, from the iconic places we know and love to the quirkier details that make us want to explore it more. From major cities to iconic foods, animals to historic details, Australia Illustrated is a visual feast of learning.
This book is a perfect way to introduce kids to the geography and diversity of this big land. The illustrations are an ideal way to communicate all of the amazing details and both kids and adults will be inspired. It would also be the perfect companion to anyone who is exploring Australia or planning a trip!
Tania McCartney’s website has links to teaching notes that explain all of the ways her book relates to different subject areas. It has quite a few ideas for activities in those different subject areas too.
To extend the learning from this book, here are some extra suggestions for activities.
- On a map of Australia, plan a trip based on the things from the book you would like to visit.
- Draw some of your own illustrations of things you think are important for people to know about Australia or another country that is significant to you.
- Using the illustrations you have drawn from the previous task, create a poster/brochure for your chosen country.
- Give watercolour painting a go!