My Place by Nadia Wheatley

My Place written by Nadia Wheatley & Illustrated by Donna Rawlins

The book ‘My Place’ by Nadia Wheatley is an Australian children’s literature book taking the reader on a voyage through time. With each turn of the page, a new story begins in a new decade, all taking place in Sydney, Australia from 1788 to 1988. The illustrator Donne Rawlins, maps a new era which is ‘drawn’ by the child protagonist demonstrating the things which have changed.

Wheatley’s (2008) book is a central concept of ideology as Wheatley (2008) depicts history throughout Australia with the book being about families, settlers, multiculturalism and the traditional owners of Australian land. Both the writer and the illustrator create themes which are both ideologically constructed as these themes emerge out of specific society beliefs about the happenings within the past. These beliefs, attitudes and ideas all seep into the text from part of the author’s world.

As each new page tells a new child’s story there is a focus on the exposition rather than a complication, climax, resolution etc. My place can be seen as many different text types, as this narrative shows aspects of a recount/information report, where information is being presented to the reader to recall what happened etc and the text has an orientation (all in the same place). My Place is written on fiction but can give any child an appreciation for Australian history, as many of the stories told within the book can depict many families within Australia.