Baby business

Baby Business invites the reader to a smoking ceremony that connects a newborn to Country. Warm smoke gently touches the baby’s feet, chest, hands, mouth and ears to connect her to the land, keep her safe from bad spirits and encourage her to always remember family, law, land and language.

Each step of the ritual is beautifully illustrated, making it very relatable for young children. You could talk about the special leaves that are used in a smoking ceremony. Do the children know other Australian bush plants? In the story, the baby’s totem is the bee, and you could explore other common totems in Indigenous cultures, such as sea eagles, pelicans, reptiles, sharks, crocodiles or fish. A great introduction to Indigenous cultures is the online learning module from the University of Sydney.