School Library Journal Review
Gr 5-8-This colorful guide provides a glimpse of Aboriginal heritage as well as physical descriptions of the central desert region of Uluru (Ayers Rock) and Kata Tjuta (the Olgas) in Australia's Northern Territory. These sites, which are now part of a national park, are sacred to the Anangu, and Arnold provides a brief overview of the history and beliefs of "Australia's First People." The concept of Tjukurpa, a view of the world and its creation as well as the laws that govern daily life, is explained, and the author points out physical features of the rock formations that are related to events that occurred during the creation time. Other chapters discuss the formation's geological history, the plants and animals that live there and in the surrounding region, and the desert climate. The text offers good examples of the relationship between the Aboriginal people and the land, and their use of its resources. The writing is lucid and logical. All of the full-color photographs are appropriately labeled, but some are slightly out of focus. The index is useful, but it omits some important words, e.g., mulga and wallaby. An adequate resource for libraries with a need for information about this region and its inhabitants.-Paul J. Bisnette, Silas Bronson Library, Waterbury, CT (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Horn Book Review
(Intermediate) Uluru, the giant sandstone monolith in the Red Center of Australia, was known as Ayers Rock when I spent the night there thirty years ago, and that is not all that is different: Caroline Arnold's very book exemplifies the Aboriginals' repossession of their sacred site (where, for one small thing, visitors may no longer camp overnight). As in previous Arnold books, the interface between ancient place, living people, and natural history is the crux: we see, high on the rock, the marks of battle ""in the ancient time"" between Kuniya, the ancestral python, and Liru, ""the ancestor of all poisonous snakes""; and, near the base, the cave of Itjaritjari, the giant marsupial mole. Only then comes the geology -- the layers of rock, the surface reddened by iron oxide. Native people do not appear in the photographs (presumably by their own wish), and the sense of the desert as a habitat, of the rock as a monument, is all the stronger for the absence of National Geographic-ish features. Close-ups, focusing on the region's specialized plants and animals, mingle with spectacular shots of the terrain; the cover is a knockout, the entire design is discreetly supportive. And to complement the dual-naming throughout -- ""red kangaroo/malu"" -- there's a glossary and pronunciation guide. In her concluding author's note, Arnold cites books recommended to her by local officials and confirms that, as one feels from the start, she has endeavored to respect ""the wishes of the traditional Aboriginal owners."" The resulting book is at once thoughtful and alluring. Index. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
In this absorbing tour of Uluru (formerly known as Ayer's Rock) and Kata Tjuta, the similar but lesser-known formation nearby, veteran naturalist Arnold not only provides a systematic account of the area's geology and wildlife, she communicates great respect for its profound cultural and religious significance to the aboriginal Anangu clans that live nearby. Towering over a thousand feet above ground, and extending perhaps three miles below, russet Uluru is the largest single rock on Earth--and, as the sharp color photographs here prove, a spectacular sight in all lights. Arnold summarizes some of the Anangu stories associated with its formations, then goes on to a study of its history, and of the diverse community of plants and animals surrounding it, supplying both European and tongue-twisting Anangu names. She closes with a look at environmental conservation efforts in this National Park and World Heritage Site, and a reiteration of its cultural importance. The Anangu's near-constant presence in the text is not reflected in the pictures, which are nearly devoid of human figures--still, this makes a first-rate introduction to one of the planet's most awe-inspiring natural features. (index) (Nonfiction. 10-13) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Gr. 4-8. Arnold takes readers on an informative tour of Uluru, the enormous red sandstone rock that rises from the flat plain of the central Australian desert. Once called Ayres Rock and billed as a tourist attraction within a national park, Uluru and the land surrounding it have been returned to the Anangu, the aboriginal people of the area, who now control access to sacred sites and allow visitors entry to the area in a way that protects and enhances their land. Arnold retells several traditional stories connected with Uluru, discusses the geology and origins of the rock formation, and introduces the surrounding desert landscape and its wildlife. The book's greatest accomplishment, though, is to give readers a sense of the ongoing spiritual importance of Uluru to the Anangu, who have lived around it for 10,000 years. Clear, colorful photos of Uluru and its surroundings appear on nearly every page, illustrating the text with beauty and finesse. The presentation concludes with a combination glossary and pronunciation guide and an author's note, which recommends a few books. --Carolyn Phelan Copyright 2003 Booklist
