Our Boroondara Stories of how we got through lockdown in 2020 - By children and families in Boroondara
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Our Boroondara
Stories of how we got through lockdown in 2020
ndara
families in Boroo
By children and
Our Boroondara Bubble Book Stories of how we got through lockdown in 2020 By children & families in Boroondara ISBN: 978 1 925077 67 4 Published by Kids’ Own Publishing, 2021 © Copyright of the original works remains with the authors and illustrators The Boroondara Bubble Book was a partnership between Boroondara Library Service and Kids’ Own Publishing. With thanks to Trace Balla, participating Boroondara children and families, and project lead Jacquie Kilkenny, Children’s and Youth Librarian, Boroondara Library Service. This book was inspired by Trace Balla’s own bubble book, The Heart of the Bubble traceballa.yolasite.com City of Boroondara boroondara.vic.gov.au Kids’ Own Publishing Director: Anna Dollard Book designer: Kathy Holowko Creative Consultant: Michael Camilleri Kids’ Own Publishing is a social purpose arts organisation that empowers children, families and communities to share their stories through artist-led community publishing. SHG.05 Abbotsford Convent 1 St Heliers Street Abbotsford VIC 3067 Australia Ph: +61 3 9078 1168 kidsownpublishing.com The City of Boroondara acknowledges the Traditional Owners as the original custodians of this land, including the Wurundjeri People in the northern part of our City, and pays its respects to their Elders, past and present, and the Elders from other Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander communities in Boroondara.
Our Boroondara Stories of how we got through lockdown in 2020
Foreword Like many other moments in history, carers and siblings is well-documented, 2020 will be one of those pivotal showing the importance of family to years we all remember – for better or our young people. for worse. Their words and images paint a The extended efects of the picture of hopefulness and resilience COVID-19 pandemic impacted almost – qualities these children will surely everyone in our community, turning carry far into their lives, thanks to their lives upside down for months on end. unique lived experiences in 2020. During a seemingly endless cycle of When we all look back on 2020, we lockdowns, restrictions, openings and will remember not just the decision- closures, and social distancing, close to makers, but the people who went 15,000 primary school-aged children in about their lives in our community, the Boroondara were there to see it all. sacrifces they made for others, and Our Boroondara Bubble Book collectively, our community spirit. is a ‘time capsule’ of the thoughts I wish to thank our Council and feelings of local children during teams who brought this idea to Melbourne’s COVID-19 extended stay- life, Kids’ Own Publishing, author- at-home measures in September 2020, illustrator Trace Balla, the teachers captured during online workshops and educators who kept our local organised by our libraries with schools and kindergartens running children’s author-illustrator, Trace Balla. and children learning and of course, These unique stories, by Boroondara our young authors and illustrators and children aged four to 12, range from their families and carers! frank to humorous, observant to These pages momentarily let imaginative, mundane to fantastical. us into the ‘bubble’ lives of It’s clear that while boredom Boroondara children during and lack of stimulation were lockdown, and it’s a privilege to present, time at home spawned be invited into their worlds. creativity and adaptability, such I hope there is something we as the transition to online learning can all take away from their unique, and technology (an area where imaginative and hopeful perspectives. our youngest residents are surely already some of our local experts!). – Cr Garry Thompson, Time spent at home with parents, Mayor of Boroondara 2
Our Boroondara Bubble Book was born throu
gh online workshops
for children organised by Boroondara Libra
ry Service during the
COVID-19 pandemic in mid-September 2020
. The workshops were
run by Trace Balla, award-winning author
of the comic-picture
books Rivertime and Rockhopping. In fact,
the whole idea was inspired by a
bubble book Trace herself had created and
published during the lockdown,
called The Heart of the Bubble. Her book
showed a family during this
strange time discovering the things that really
matter.
Through the screen, Trace inspired children
and their families to create
their own bubble stories by ‘mixing up’ pictu
res and words – showing
the things that really mattered to them, their
daily activities, their
feelings and fantasies. Some are intricate
narratives; some are captured
moments - all collected here for readers,
from very young to tween,
to dip into. These bubble stories are a time
capsule that captures their
perspectives in a unique and extraordinary
year, 2020. We hope it will
inspire other young artists and writers to
do the same.
3
4
Planting pumpkins seeds in the garden
Ninja is practising archer y
ALEXANDER 5 YEARS OLD
Lots of mask s are being made in a factor y. A McQueen car is coming to pick them up. Space rocket is taking of f into the sky
In the time of coronavirus, there was …
... playing
ALEXANDRA 5 YEARS OLD 5
... baking 6 AMY 9 YEARS OLD
... Zooming
CAITLYN 5 YEARS OLD 7
... growing 8 CELINA 6 YEARS OLD
... learning
CHRISTIAN 9 YEARS OLD 9During a pandemic, there was … 10 CLAUDIA 12 YEARS OLD
… sleeping
CONNOR 10 YEARS OLD 11... riding 12 DECLAN 8 YEARS OLD
... researching
DECLAN 8 YEARS OLD 13… smiling and not smiling 14 DIYA 5 YEARS OLD
… riding
EDIE 7 YEARS OLD 15… hairstyling 16 EMILY 12 YEARS OLD
… masking
GEORGE 4 YEARS OLD 17During lockdown, there was… 18 GEORGIA 8 YEARS OLD
… playing
GRETA 3 YEARS OLD 19… playing 20 HARRIET 8 YEARS OLD
… joking
… playing
HOLLY 10 YEARS OLD 21… piggybacking 22 HARRY 9 YEARS OLD
… glueing
HARRY 9 YEARS OLD 23… playing 24 HUGO S 7 YEARS OLD
… winning
HUGO H 11 YEARS OLD 25… building 26 JOSH 10 YEARS OLD
… helping
KADEN 5 YEARS OLD 27… baking 28 LENI 7 YEARS OLD
Sorry, closed until after … testing
LIHSIA PARENT 29There was dancing … 30 LISA PARENT
… eating
LOUIS 4 YEARS OLD 31…climbing 32 LUCA 10 YEARS OLD
… planting
LUCAS 5 YEARS OLD 33… distancing 34 MADELEINE 7 YEARS OLD
… playing
MIKKO 10 YEARS OLD 35... reading 36 OSCAR 10 YEARS OLD
... stopping
RHYS 8 YEARS OLD 37… fur styling 38 SAM 12 YEARS OLD
... shuffling
SPENCER 7 YEARS OLD 39… riding 40 STARR 6 YEARS OLD
... music making
THARAN 9 YEARS OLD 41… cooking 42 WILLIAM 7 YEARS OLD
In the time of coronavirus, there was ...
OSCAR L 9 YEARS OLD 43... Virus Man! 44 OSCAR L 9 YEARS OLD
A police bat on patrol and a monocycle by Bowen Z, 4 years old Bowen is riding further and further away. One day he’ll leave his tiny bike behind. I cherish our time together. Sunny Bowen’s mum
In the time
of coronavirus,
there was … cooking,
reading, riding and Zooming!
What is a
?
A bubble book is a collection of stories of living
through the coronavirus pandemic in a family bubble.
Lockdown life has been very diferent and had a
huge impact on all of us, especially kids.
But children are strong. Ingenious. Resilient.
This book reveals the unique points of view of
children in their bubble-lives in Boroondara,
a city in the eastern suburbs
of Melbourne.
ISBN: 978 1 925077 67 4You can also read
