Purchases for Christmas should be made by Sunday 8 December for on-time arrival.

Magabala Books Magabala Books Australia’s leading Indigenous publisher Support us

We respectfully caution Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers that this website contains images of people who have passed away.

Close

Baby Business

WINNER, 2020 CHILDREN’S BOOK COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARDS, AWARD FOR NEW ILLUSTRATOR 

NOTABLES, 2020 CHILDREN’S BOOK COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARDS, PICTURE BOOK OF THE YEAR

SHORTLISTED, 2020 SPEECH PATHOLOGY AUSTRALIA BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARDS, THREE TO FIVE YEARS


Warm smoke from the fire on your mouth. Keep our language on your tongue. Our words are the song of our ancestors and show the pathway to Dreaming.

Baby Business tells the story of a Darug baby smoking ceremony that welcomes baby to country. The smoke is a blessing – it will protect the baby and remind them that they belong. This beautiful ritual is recounted in a way young children will completely relate to and is enhanced by gentle illustrations.

Darug language words are integrated throughout, with a glossary at the back. Central to this stunning book is a message of connection to Country and the need to care for it.

$27.99

Praise for Baby Business

"This heart-warming book about belonging to place, community and family is perfect for sharing."
Dr Stephanie Owen Reeder, Canberra Times

"Baby Business felt like being warmly invited to witness the very intimate occasion of a baby being welcomed into country as wisps of smoke bathes the newborn and connects them to their land, keeps them safe from bad spirits and encourages them to always remember their family, law, land and language." 
– Megan Daley, Children's Books Daily

"There is much to be learnt about Indigenous culture and ceremony and Baby Business is a great resource for both homes, schools and libraries. Seymour has created a beautiful text that has value both for its content and its aesthetic."
Ella, Sun Bookshop Reviews

Jasmine Seymour

Jasmine Seymour is a Dharug woman and descendant of Maria Lock, who was the daughter of Yarramundi, the Boorooberongal elder who had met Governor Phillip on the banks of the Hawkesbury River in 1791. Maria was the first Aboriginal woman...

Read more

Read Jasmine Seymour's Q&A with Creative Kids Tales

 

Listen to Jasmine Seymour discuss 'Baby Business' and 'Cooee Mittigar' in conversation with Hugh Riminton on Radio National

Other titles by Jasmine Seymour