Sun Mother Wakes the World

An Australian Creation Story

Retold by Diane Wolkstein
Illustrated by Bronwyn Bancroft
(HarperCollins, New York, 2004, hardbound)
ISBN 0–68–813915–9

Wake up, world!

Darkness.
Silence.
No fish swam.
No animal stirred.
The wind did not whisper.
The earth was asleep...

…until a voice rouses Sun Mother, telling her it's time to wake up all the plants and creatures of the earth.

The book's beginnings

During the winter solstice of 1993, Lorna Roberts , Regina Ress, and I did a retreat at Wainwright House (in Rye, New York) on Death and Dying. Lorna asked me to tell a story on Sunday morning about light and awakening to draw us to life after a night spent on a cold slab.

I found this story of light and community. Lorna loved it; my editor at William Morrow loved it. I went off to Australia to check its provenance and obtain permission. But it took the acquisition of Morrow by HarperCollins [and its parent company, News Corporation] to make the commitment for an indigenous Australian artist to do the illustrations. Then it took four years to find the right illustrator, and two years for Bronwyn Bancroft to do the paintings.

The paintings

Bronwyn Bancroft's gorgeous painting are well worth the wait. They are inspired. Sun Mother Wakes the World is about the interconnectedness of all beings, the relationship of spirit, care for the earth, and the appreciation of life. In Bancroft's paintings there is no hierarchy: everything is connected, patterns intertwine and pulsate. Raw energy jumps from the pages; color and light delight. Her three–dimensional illustrations suggest creation with spirals which merge and emerge.

Diane Wolkstein.

The indigenous people of Australia believe that their first ancestors created the world and its laws. They also believe that the world is still being created in a continual process they call the "dreamtime."

Diane traveled to Australia three times while researching this Australian creation myth. As a result, she has crafted a powerful retelling of the Sun Mother story, illuminated by Bronwyn Bancroft's authentic, beautifully realized paintings.

Bronwyn Bancroft is an indigenous Australian artist and designer whose artwork has been collected and exhibited by galleries and museums throughout the world. A descendant of the Bunjalung people of New South Wales, Ms. Bancroft grew up in the small country town of Tenterfield. She says, "The work that I do challenges people to accept indigenous peoples as equals." Some of ths books she has illustrated include Big Rain Coming by Katrina Germein and Just a Little Brown Dog by Sally Morgan. Ms. Bancroft lives in Sydney with her three children.

What critics are saying

"…Sun Mother&hellipwakes the Earth's animals, gives them new shapes after they become dissatisfied with what they already have, then gives birth to the Moon and Morning Star, who produce the first humans. Veteran folklorist/storyteller Wolkstein retells the tale in a terse, formal way, with strong but understated feeling and glints of humor; Bancroft…depicts Sun Mother as a graceful, golden form, bringing light to a swirling, distinctively stylized, brightly patterned world... A respectful, eye-opening alternative to Biblical versions of the Creation...and [with] a female Creator to boot."
 
Kirkus Reviews, March 1, 2004.