Shortlisted

Absolutely thrilled and honoured to announce Warna Manda Baby Earth Walk has been shortlisted for the new Karajia Award by the Wilderness Society, celebrating this continent's First Nations authors and/or illustrated children’s books.

Warna Manda Baby Earth Walk

Written by Susan Betts and artwork created in collaboration with Susan Betts.
Published by Little Book Press, 2021 in hardback and paperback.

AVAILABLE ONLINE NOW from Little Book Press and in all good book stores.

If you would like a signed, personalised copy, simply email me here.


Warna-Manda Baby, the earth is part of you.

Follow Allurru as she is guided across the land on a journey to discover her connection to Mother Earth and find her way home.
An ode to earth, sea and sky, Warna-Manda Baby Earth Walk is a gift to future generations to help them connect, care and understand the world around them.


Activity: Click here to download a colouring sheet of Wardu.
Add some more swirls and patterns to make him your own.

Activity: Click here to download a colouring sheet of Allurru in her basket and get creative by adding in the background what Allurru may be dreaming about.

Warna Manda Baby Earth Walk has been a very special collaboration I was so honoured and proud to be a part of. From the very beginning Susie and I, together with Raising Literacy Australia, had a vision. Fiona, from RLA, and I spent two days with Susie in Streaky Bay learning about what inspired this story, walking the beaches, watching the sunrise at Murphys Haystacks and trying to catch a glimpse of the shadow cast on the rock in the shape of an eagle's head, and being welcomed by Waldya, the Wedge Tailed Eagle.
It is an experience I will never forget. Thank you Susie and RLA, for inviting me to be a part of this.

'Raising Literacy Australia began working with Indigenous artist Susan Betts in 2009 with Susan’s lullaby,
Warna-Manda Baby, featuring in It’s Bedtime and Lullabies for Bedtime.

Together they have developed Susan’s first stand-alone picture book, Warna-Manda Baby Earth Walk.
To create the picture book, a collaboration was formed with renowned South Australian creatives, author
Katrina Germein and illustrator Mandy Foot.

Katrina worked closely with Susan to fine-tune the story while Mandy and Susan took part in an intensive
week-long illustrating workshop. The process allowed all artists involved to learn, grow and develop together.'
- Raising Literacy Australia