Review: Tangki Tjuta Donkeys

Tangki Tjuta Donkeys is a wonderful bilingual story.

It’s told first in Pitjantjatjara, then English, with each page featuring both languages.
The words are illustrated using special sculptures created by the Tjanpi Desert Weavers. They’re made from grasses and are full of expression and personality.

All aspects of the artwork are sculpted fibre art, including the animals, people and landscape. Be sure to read the note at the back of the book about the Tjanpi Desert Weavers, how they got started and how they celebrate and share culture through fibre art.

The story itself is a simple one, showing how the donkeys arrived in the community of Pukatja (Ernabella) in South Australia, where they once didn’t know they (donkeys) existed, and the value of the help the donkeys then brought to the community.

The donkeys are still there now, loved and with the freedom to roam.

Both the story and artwork have also been turned into a stop motion animation for the 2022 Sydney Film Festival.

Fantastically fun and friendly, Tangki Tjuta Donkeys is a great story for a range of ages and inspiration for different ways of storytelling.

Scan the QR code in the inside cover for a reading in both Pitjantjatjara and English made available by the publisher, and check out Tjanpi.com.au to find out more about the Tjanpi Desert Weavers.

Title: Tangki Tjuta Donkeys
Author/Illustrator: Tjanpi Desert Weavers.
Publisher: Allen and Unwin, $24.99
Publication Date: July 2022
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9781761180149
For ages: 4+
Type: Picture Book

July 1, 2022 at 12:37AM Shaye Wardrop