Riding the Black Cockatoo [Paperback]

Danalis's quietly thoughtful but spellbinding account, which I read compulsively in less than 24 hours, is full of these neat, unexpected twists...



Most books are full of echoes of other books, but the deliciously fresh Riding the Black Cockatoo is not remotely like anything else I have ever read. Even the imagery sparkles...



Despite its newness, Riding the Black Cockatoo is a GCSE English set text with effect from this autumn, having been chosen, very unusually, before it was even published in the UK. I suspect a lot of teachers and teenagers will be blown away by it. (Independent on Sunday )

This is the compelling true story of how the skull of an Aboriginal man, found on the banks of the Murray River over 40 years ago, came to be returned to his Wamba Wamba descendants. It is a story of awakening, atonement, forgiveness and friendship. 'It is as if a whole window into Indigenous culture has blown open, not just the window, but every door in the house,' says John Danalis. Part history, part detective story, part cultural discovery and emotional journey, this is a book for young and old, showing the transformative and healing power of true reconciliation.

John Danalis is a writer, illustrator and designer. He is the author and illustrator of three children's titles, Dog 37 being the most recent. Bath Monster and Uncle Lou's Tattoos are his earlier works. He has illustrated numerous other titles including Licking Lizards, Girl in the Cave and Loku and the Shark Attack. He has also illustrated textbooks. John began his art practice as a graphic designer and now runs a studio called Peripheral Vision with his partner, acclaimed illustrator Stella Danalis. In the last 15 years the studio has won over 100 design and illustration awards. Today, John and Stella specialise in book cover design and their own creative projects.