“I will show you how to play with the ocean,” Said Malu Kangaroo.
He took some wood And he worked it,
And he shaped it and rubbed it and smoothed it,
And he floated it upon the water…

Described by the author as a modern myth, Malu Kangaroo is a poignant story which tells of how people first learnt to surf. Malu Kangaroo, a kangaroo spirit, carves a piece of wood and takes it to some children playing on a beach. He floats it on the water and shows them how to use it. The children learn to balance and guide the board through the waves, “riding the high crests” and “flying before the crashing breakers”.

Illustrated by: Bronwyn Bancroft