Gold! - Book Review

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Gold! is a collaboration between the storyteller Jackie Kerin and the illustrator Annie White. It is part ripping yarn and part investigation into the real history of the gold rush, wrapped in poetic detail. It is a captivating true story which revolves around four young men: brothers Robbie and Jim from England plus Sam and Charlie from Canada. They all set off to seek their fortunes at the Victorian goldfields, as they imagine filling their pockets with big shiny nuggets.



Jackie Kerin is an award-winning author of non-fiction illustrated books for children. Her previous children's books include Lyrebird! and Phar Lap the Wonder Horse. Her interests in nature and history are obvious in this story which reads like a traditional oral tale. She has the enviable job of travelling around Australia and overseas telling tales. Her other hobbies include bike riding, gardening and bird watching.

Annie White illustrates and also writes children's stories, including Beware the Deep Dark Forest, My Dad is a Bear and Clementine's Bath. She studied Art and Design then worked in advertising, and now illustrates full time, which is lucky for us. Her beautiful watercolours in this book were apparently inspired by Samuel Thomas Gill, the mid-19th century "artist of the goldfields" and Eugene Van Guerard. The incredible minutiae in White's art reminded me of the paintings of peasant scenes by Pieter Bruegel the Elder. They capture the everyday life of people working, digging holes, riding carts, their families, kids, dogs and 101 other tiny details. Can you smell that parrot pie cooking?



As well as the sights of the place and time, the book evokes the sounds of the goldfields. Onomatopoeia is employed: from the warbling of magpies to the creak of winches, rattle of cradles, and the swish of gravel in pans. You can almost hear men whistling, women cursing and kids crying.

The characters are as real as the nose on your face – except perhaps for Ma Kilduff who's entirely made up. As well as our group of young heroes, there are old and young, rich and poor; English, French, German and Chinese who are all trying their luck at the goldfields. They come from all 'walks' of life e.g. professors, shepherds and shop keepers. There was movement aplenty in the rush to get to the fields. The diggers travel on horse and cart, and bullock and dray, and plod on foot or shank's pony. They pass over paddocks, through forests, and bare hills to get to the Victorian goldfields.

Life on the goldfields was not all beer and skittles though. It was hard work in dreadful conditions and not everyone made their fortunes. The diggers moaned about the Aussie heat and flies, and there were thieves everywhere, so they had to sew pockets in their underwear. And you wonder whether things can get any worse.

In the latter half of the book, the setting moves from the goldfields to Melbourne to London, England to meet the Queen. Queen Victoria that is. You'll learn some of the history of the time along the way:About Governor Barkly and his wife BlancheThe beginning of the Victorian gold rushEureka Stockade and miners' rightsChinese immigrantsCrystal Palace that Queen Victoria's husband Albert had built and where the giant Blanche Barkly nugget was displayed in 1858.

Gold! is humorous as well as informative. There are lots of little nuggets of humour (pardon the pun) in the story and the pictures. For example, gold nuggets are described as being like peanuts, plums, porcupines and ponies! I really like alliteration – a lot. You can discover gems like bees… boots… baboons… buffaloes. Watch out for other poetic devices such as similes, metaphors, repetition and rhyme to enrich the reading experience.

I was pleased that the book acknowledges the Dja Dja Wurrung peoples who are the Traditional Owners where the story takes place. After all, the lives of the first people and their land were changed forever with the coming of the colonists. The destruction of the environment was not only by the pastoralists but the diggers too. The goldfields scarred the landscape: trees were toppled, piles of stones were abandoned, and the raw earth was pitted with shafts.

I hope you discover some gold and enjoy reading Gold! as much as I did. I was particularly interested in the story as my dad Jim taught me gold panning when I was a kid. This delightful picture book is aimed at primary aged kids over six. It's entertainment and learning rolled together, as it should be. It is brought to you by the great little Aussie company Ford Street Publishing.

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