Storying Plants in Australian Children’s and Young Adult Literature

This scholarly work examines the surprisingly complex role of plant life within Australian children's and young adult literature, tracing botanical representation through colonial, postcolonial, and Indigenous storytelling traditions. Drawing from the emerging field of critical plant studies, the book compellingly argues that plants are not merely passive backdrops but are living, dynamic participants in narrative. It offers a deep cultural and historical analysis that reframes how readers perceive the natural world in the stories they consume.

The book's distinctive strength lies in its multi-perspective approach, giving equal weight to Indigenous ecological knowledge and settler narratives to present a holistic view of the Australian landscape. Students and scholars of literary criticism, particularly those with an interest in ecocriticism or postcolonial studies, will find its methodology both rigorous and enlightening. By foregrounding the often-overlooked "storying of plants," this text fundamentally enriches our understanding of setting, character, and environmental themes in literature for young people.