All you fellas watching, come up, join in, warrima.
Clap your hands, little ones.
Stamp your feet, nannas.
Get down and dance, you smart young things, mummas and daddas.
A-huh A-huh Ahuh
We’ve got the whole town dancing.
In Northern Queensland three boys enter a pizza shop in search of food – but they get far more than they’re expecting. The pizza chef is a Murri man who speaks Italian, having learnt to cook in Italy. While the pizza cooks he tells the boys stories of his culture and, after the pizza is eaten, he calls his own children to come and share their dance with the boys.
Shake a Leg is a glorious celebration of food, dance and the sharing of cultures. Modern and traditional scenes blend across the pages, many of which use graphic novel panels and speech bubbles, so that the dialogue often stands without additional need for explanation. This format also makes the book likely to appeal to a broad age range of readers.
A collaboration between award winning author and storyteller Boori Monty Pryor and illustrator Jan Ormerod, this is an outstanding offering.
Shake a Leg, by Boori Monty Pryor & Jan Ormerod
Allen & Unwin, 2010
ISBN 9781741758900
This book can be purchased from good bookstores, or online from Fishpond. Buying through this link supports Aussiereviews.