Summary

There was a hum of excitement.
Flags flickered in the breeze as Maggie’s heart danced with delight.
‘This is a very special day!’ her mother said.

Maggie holds tight to her mother as they await the long anticipated apology to show a willingness to reconcile the past for future generations. In the excitement of the crowd Maggie loses touch of her mother’s hand as is lost.

In a time ‘long ago and not so long ago’ children were taken from their parents, their ‘sorrow echoing across the land’.

As the prime minister’s speech unfolds Maggie is reunited with her mother. But the faces and memories of the stolen generation are all around them.

Two stories entwine in this captivating retelling of the momentous day when the then prime minister of Australia, Kevin Rudd, acknowledged the sorrows of past and said ‘Sorry’ to the generation of children who were taken from their homes.

The book includes a foreword from Lee Joachim; Chair of Rumbalara Aboriginal Cooperative and Director of Research and Development for Yorta Yorta Nation Aboriginal Corporation.

Winner of the 2019 CBCA Eve Pownall Award for Information Books.

About the Author

Coral Vass has always had a passion for writing and telling stories. After studying media at university, she dabbled in script writing, radio drama and video production before working for several years in marketing and publications.

Her first children’s picture book was published in 2011 and she now writes full-time. Her signature style has a splash of rhythm, a dash of rhyme and is stirred with fun. Coral is also on the team of Kids Book Review. She adores children’s books, visiting schools and inspiring children with a love for literature.