To The Goldfields! By Rachel Tonkin
To the Goldfields! is sadly now out of print. But as many libraries still have it on their shelves (and we hope they keep it!) we thought it was worth mentioning. This picture book tells the story of James, a nine year old boy who travels to the Victorian goldfields with his family.
It is very detailed for a picture book and the fantastic illustrations provide even more detail to unpack with students. The richness of this book means it can be used in many different ways and it covers a great many topics. Students can look at: travel, mining techniques, food, living conditions, clothing, school, police, the Chinese miners and licences. This book is like Nothing But Gold for children! There is also a helpful glossary at the end of the book.
Rachel Tonkin wrote extensive teachers notes to accompany the books and schools may still have this in their library.
