Trace Balla is often found sketching in nature, riding her bike, dancing, and growing vegies in her garden in central Victoria. Her background is in illustration, community arts, art therapy, animation, and writing songs and stories, and she enjoys visiting schools and festivals to talk about her work. Trace's previous books have been highly acclaimed, winning the CBCA Book of the Year Award, Readings Children's Book Prize, and Wilderness Society's Environment Award for Children's Literature, as well as being shortlisted for the NSW Premier's Literary Awards, Speech Pathology Book of the Year Awards and Adelaide Festival Awards for Children's Literature.
'Every page is filled to the brim with tiny, fascinating details of
nature...This story is set on Dja Dja Wurrung country to the west
of Melbourne and Balla has worked closely with traditional elders
of the area and named many places, flora and fauna in traditional
language throughout the book. From the beginning endpapers to the
author's notes at the back, this is a culturally rich and
absolutely delightful visual story of the joys of engaging with
nature and community...an absolute triumph and excellent example of
the benefits of telling a story graphically!' Angela Crocombe,
READINGS
'Trace Balla's graphic novel picture books Rivertime and
Rockhopping, and...Landing with Wings reflect her passion for the
natural world. Through lyrical words and pictures she encourages
readers of all ages to slow down and observe the world around them.
Landing with Wings is the story of Miri and her mum, settling in to
a new town, making friends, learning about the land's Indigenous
history and culture. Miri keeps a nature diary, and in writing and
drawing to, and about, the plants and animals and places around
her, she shows how gentle observation and engagement with the
natural world can have a ripple effect on not only her own psyche,
but all those around her. In the context of the enormous challenges
that are upon Australia right now with ferocious bushfires ripping
through communities and forests, Trace's books are a beautiful way
to engage and educate the young, and their parents, to do
everything we can to care for country.' Books for Keeps, UK
'This is an absolutely beautiful book in every possible sense. The
illustrations are incredibly detailed whilst remaining delicate and
gentle. The prose are simple yet they sensitively capture the
speech of children in such a way as to truly build a connection
between the reader and the characters. It is a superbly constructed
graphic novel which is bursting at the seams with themes of hope,
community and appreciation of the natural world. It's the type of
book that will be pored over for years, it is far from a one-read
wonder...We can not stop looking at the illustrations because with
every viewing we find something new, something which adds to the
whole story. There are many opportunities to take learning further
with this graphic novel...It's an absolute winner.' Adventures in
Homeschool, UK
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