Dreaming Soldiers

WINNER of the 2019 Australian Speech Pathology Book of the Year Awards – Indigenous Children Category

A powerful and moving story about true mateship.

"The simple story-telling combines with stunning images to honour the service and contribution of Australian veterans, and Aboriginal soldiers."

"Dreaming Soldiers" weaves tales of childhood adventures and battlefield challenges with gentle Dreaming themes.

This is a touching friendship story about Jimmy and Johnno, two young Australian boys in the 1900s; mates who do everything together, sharing adventures and growing up side by side in the dusty cattle yards of an Outback South Australian station and later on the muddy WWI battlefields of the Western Front.

Book Features:

• Truly a one-of-a-kind in terms of picture books about WWI and Australians at War.
• Evocative and detailed illustrations that readers will want to linger over.
• An ideal book for kids dealing with friendship and belonging issues.
• Fresh approach in dealing with subject matter that’s not common in the children’s market and one that promotes discussion about diversity and fairness.
• A perfect school resource with linkages to many topics in the curriculum including Australian.

About the Author

Catherine Bauer is a journalist and writer from South Australia. She has worked as a news and political journalist and features writer for various newspapers and publications and is now working as a state government media adviser. Her love of writing started as an eight-year-old where she wrote and illustrated her own book. She has now written and published three children’s plays and has two picture books set for publication in 2018. Catherine aims for her stories to spark all or one of the following three reactions in readers: ‘that’s me’; ‘I wish that was me’ or ‘I’m glad that’s not me’. Her parents were both great story tellers and among her favourites, her father’s wonderful retellings about finding joy in small things, his enthralling adventures and often hardships of a childhood growing up in WWII Germany.

About the Illustrator

Shane McGrath is a talented artist/illustrator from Melbourne. His mum says he was always talented (all mums say that) and one of the first artworks Shane made was when he bit his toast into the shape of a horse. He always loved drawing pictures and reading picture books, especially Where the Wild Things Are & Asterix comics. Shane’s incredible ability to capture the very essence of Australia is showcased in a number of spectacular picture books including Granny’s Place, Shearing Time and Stripes in the Forest.