The House on the Mountain

REMEMBERING BLACK SATURDAY

There is a fire coming, and we need to move quickly. Mum and Dad start packing bags, grabbing woollen blankets, the first-aid kit, torches, and then the photo albums. Dad puts Ruby on her lead and ties her up near the back door. My chest feels hollow, like a birdcage.

Atmospheric and intensely moving, this is the story of a family experiencing a bushfire, its devastating aftermath, and the long process of healing and rebuilding.

Short-listed for Children's Literature Award - Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature 2020 (Australia)

'A great empathy tool, for children and adults alike, in explaining the complex emotions experienced by victims of bushfire...simple yet evocative, giving space for the reader to consider the words carefully...The House on the Mountain leaves the reader with a sense of hope. An incredible book to help young children learn and explore the more complex emotional issues that are brought up by the fires that frequently occur in our country. 4 stars out of 5.' Andrea Simpson, Arts Hub

'Universal, able to be discussed by younger readers who will glean lessons from that fires, and recognise strategies they can use.' Fran Knight, Read Plus

'Honourable mentions also go to Ella Holcombe, whose picture book The House on the Mountain centres around remembering the devastation of the Black Saturday fires. Author Holcombe lost both her parents, her family home and the family's beloved dog to those destructive fires, but her book takes its characters in a different direction, making it a story of hope and re-building.' Sydney Morning Herald

ELLA HOLCOMBE grew up in Kinglake, in a house on a mountain, with her younger brothers and a Brittany spaniel called Brittany. Her parents were both teachers and her childhood was filled with music, books, wombats and plenty of watermelon. Now she lives in Melbourne with her partner and their band of wild things - Harry, June, Eva and Pepe - but they still escape back up the mountain whenever they can. Ella's first collection of poetry, Welcome/No Vacancy, was published by Five Islands Press as part of their New Poets Series.

DAVID COX was born and reared in country Queensland. He worked as a jackaroo on outback sheep and cattle stations before enrolling, at 21, at St Martins School of Art in London. Back in Australia he became a newspaper artist, winning a Walkley Award, while also illustrating and writing many award-winning children's books, including four CBCA-shortlisted titles. In 2007 he won the Dame Annabelle Rankin Award for distinguished services to Children's Literature in Queensland. David works from his home studio in Brisbane, and one of his hobbies is singing. He is coached by his wife, pianist/composer, Betty Beath. Betty and David have written music theatre pieces about St Francis of Assisi, and David regularly acts as cantor at St Phillips Church, which is attached to a Franciscan friary.

REMEMBERING BLACK SATURDAY There is a fire coming, and we need to move quickly. Mum and Dad start packing bags, grabbing woollen blankets, the first-aid kit, torches, and then the photo albums. Dad puts Ruby on her lead and ties her up near the back door. My chest feels hollow, like a birdcage. Atmospheric and intensely moving, this is the story of a family experiencing a bushfire, its devastating aftermath, and the long process of healing and rebuilding.

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