Emma Stuart was born in New Zealand and has lived in Melbourne, London, Berlin, Alice Springs and now in Western Victoria. She has been illustrating children’s books for 20 years, having illustrated over 200 books. Emma works primarily with watercolours, but also uses acrylics, oils, pen and ink, and pencil. Her characters are full of life and bring a real sense of light-heartedness to young readers. In 2021 she won a Literary Titan Book Award; in 2013 she was shortlisted for the Australian Speech Pathology Book of the Year; and she was an International Book Awards finalist in 2014. As well as illustrating children’s books, Emma regularly exhibits her landscape paintings. Big Mountain, Little Emu is her second published work as both author and illustrator.
Description
According to many stories from the Dreaming, emus are more than just birds. They represent creator spirits that fly through the sky above. These incredible birds help First Nations peoples predict what is happening in the world around them. This is a dreamy educational story of the wonders of Gariwerd’s Big Mountain, her animals and birds, and the Emu in the Sky constellation that isnt a collection of stars but actually made up of dark areas in the sky that are outlined by light. To see it, start by looking at the Southern Cross for the emus head. From there, you will be able to trace the emus neck, body and legs between the dust lanes of the Milky Way.