Patterns of Australia

by Bronwyn Bancroft

Patterns of Australia represents a series of Australian landscapes and habitats in “patterns,” as seen through the eyes of acclaimed indigenous artist Bronwyn Bancroft. Each landscape contains animals, birds, plants, and flowers particular to that landscape hidden within it, accompanied by text evoking the place and listing the things to find. The book is designed to give children—and adults—an opportunity to see the Australian environment in a new way, as they discover that there is so much more to see around us if we only look!

Genres: Australia, Picture Books, Childrens

24 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Born in Tenterfield, northern New South Wales, Bronwyn Bancroft is a descendant of the Djanbun clan of the Bundjalung nation.

Utilising many mediums, Bronwyn's artistic practice extends from public artworks to children's book illustrations. She is represented in many collections both in Australia and overseas, including: the National Gallery of Australia, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Art Gallery of Western Australian, Australian Museum, Artbank, Newark Museum, The Kelton Foundation, Westpac USA, and the Volkerkunde Museum. Her work is also held in the private collections of the Prime Minister of Turkey, and the Governor of Tokyo. Bronwyn has exhibited extensively around the world.

Reviews

[Manybooks]

Well, if you are looking for a picture book that presents illustrations of Australian landscapes, animals, plants, aspects of Aborigine culture and at the same time also provides factual information on all of this, then no, Bronwyn Bancroft's Patterns of Australia is probably not the right kind of book for you.

For Bancroft basically just visually, she illustratively shows in Patterns of Australia a series of Australian landscapes and habitats as seen through her artistic eyes and with each of the illustrative spreads for Patterns of Australia containing a multitude of richly colourful, Aborigine inspired flowingly interlocking depictions of diverse and often quite hidden endemic to Australia animals, birds, plants and flowers (accompanied by a sparse text that has Bronwyn Bancroft both evoking the landscape being featured and also appreciatively listing what is to found within the pictures). Educational in so far that Patterns of Australia has been designed by Bancroft to give children (and also adults) the opportunity to see the Australian environment in a new way (as we discover that there is so much more to see around us if we only look closely, but yes, I certainly would want a section of photographs or realistic line drawing for the to be found animals and plants, along with their scientific names, as that would in my opinion make looking for the hidden objects, the hidden animals and especially the plants in Patterns of Australia a bit more user-friendly). But indeed, for a search and find picture book, Patterns of Australia is absolutely and delightfully a wonderful aesthetic pleasure and a total celebration of Bronwyn Bancroft's art, of her Aborigine heritage and of Australia as a continent, as a nation. And while in some ways Patterns of Australia is perhaps a wee bit like the Where's Waldo books, the artistic richness and the lushness of Bronwyn Bancroft's illustrations, they are oh so so so much superior and hugely so a visual marvel.

Finally, albeit that locating the hidden images contained in Patterns of Australia is certainly not all that easy, for me, not being a able to find everything really does not matter all that much, since it is the all encompassing visual delight of Bronwyn Bancroft's artwork that has made this books such a surprising pleasure and joy for and to me, with the search and find aspect of Patterns of Australiabeing a nice touch but also a bit secondary.

[Louise]

A kind of aboriginal art Where's Wally? Fun, and an interesting commentary by the artist/author.

[Melanie Cook]

I borrowed this for the illustrations. I love Bronwyn Bancroft's work.

[Brodie McGovern]

For lovers of finding objects within illustrations, wonderful reflection of Australian nature.

[Donna]

Stunning illustrations!