The Raven'S Song: by Zana Fraillon and Bren Macdibble

TEACHERS ’ NOTES
THE RAVEN’S SONG

By Zana Fraillon and Bren MacDibble
RECOMMENDED FOR: Ages 9-13 years old CURRICULUM LEARNING AREAS
UPPER PRIMARY/LOWER SECONDARY • ENGLISH: Literature, literacy and
GENRE: Contemporary fiction, climate fiction, language
adventure • HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL
THEMES: Resilience, climate change, post- SCIENCE: History
pandemic, family, friendship, deep time, thinking of • Cross-curriculum priority:
ourselves as future ancestors, unearthing the past, SUSTAINABILITY
the impact of the past on the present, and the
impact of the present on the future, caring for the NOTES WRITTEN BY: Bec Kavanagh
environment, connections through time, loyalty, fear ISBN: 9781761066788
and bravery, sickness and disease, future
technology, community, survival.
These notes may be reproduced free of charge for use and study
within schools, but they may not be reproduced (either in whole
or in part) and offered for commercial sale.
CONTENTS
Introduction ......................................................................1
Q&A with the authors ......................................................2
Classroom discussions and activities ..............................3
Before reading .............................................................3
ENGLISH: Literature....................................................4
ENGLISH: Literacy ......................................................5
ENGLISH: Language ...................................................6
HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES ....................7
SUSTAINABILITY........................................................9
About the authors ..........................................................10
About the writer of these notes .....................................11
Online resources and worksheet ...................................11
INTRODUCTION
Shelby and Davy’s lives are limited to seven hundred hectares, waiting (along with the 348 other people
assigned to their seven hundred) for the earth to heal. But a hole in the perimeter fence leads Shelby and
Davy out into the wilds, where they come across an abandoned city, and a lonely old man leaving
desperate messages to try to save his friends.
Decades earlier, Phoenix, Walter, and their sisters, are free to explore the wilds and the bog near their
home. Phoenix, like his mother and his brother, has the gift of sight. When his younger brother Walter,
brings home 12 raven feathers – the same day that Phoenix sees a raven standing at the foot of his bed –
Phoenix knows that something bad is going to happen. But nobody could have predicted the pandemic
that is about to hit, or the way it will send all of their lives spinning out of control.
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Q&A WITH THE AUTHORS
What environmental and civic lessons can this
Sometimes it was the only thing dragging me away
story teach us?
from 'doomscrolling'.
ZF: It could be used in schools to investigate notions
ZF: I think the strangest part of writing the book, was
such as deep time, seeing ourselves as ancestors,
how what we were writing seemed to predict real life
how we care for the Earth and connections we have
in a hauntingly eerie way (which in itself was a
across time. It could also be used to discuss
reflection of the themes we were writing about – the
government and environmental policy, the use of
past re-emerging to haunt the future).
borders, government control etc, as well as themes
such as whose history is told, and how it is told. We had the idea to write about a pandemic sweeping
the world in 2019, well before any talk of Covid. For a
BMD: The Raven’s Song deals with history repeating
while, we thought we might have to give up on our
itself and the lessons we learn, particularly about
story as it was all hitting too close to home. But we
the value of protecting our environment, making
loved being with the characters too much to let them
connections across time, loyalty and friendship.
go, and we loved the story too much.
The book covers three timelines: ancient, modern and
futuristic. Three children reach through these different What was it like collaborating on one book
times to attempt to save each other. Our ancestors together?
also left us knowledge of land management, and more
ZF: The best bit for me was knowing I had another
gentle farming practises and these are slowly being
brain to help nut out the problems with. A problem that
rediscovered and reutilised in the modern world
would usually take me weeks of brainstorming was
(which, unfortunately, often operates to the detriment
solved in an hour of throwing around ideas. And Bren
of our environment.)
would come up with solutions that I never would have
thought of on my own. It was a truly collaborative
How did the idea and subsequent story for The
process.
Raven’s Song develop?
When it came time to put our two parts together,
ZF: It all began when I put a question out on Twitter to
despite not having read each other’s chapters, the
get help and input into a book I was working on. Bren
manuscript slotted itself together perfectly. The voices
responded with an exciting suggestion, and although
of the characters are unique but fit together in the story
it didn’t quite fit that particular book, I replied to say
perfectly – my quieter characters being balanced by
that it might work for a different book we could
Bren’s noisy active ones, and each contributing to the
collaborate on together. I was delighted when Bren
other’s knowledge and understanding of the world.
came back and said, ‘let’s do it.’
They couldn’t achieve what they do without each
We were both equally stoked to be working on other. Each needs the other one, just as neither Bren
something together. I have always been a huge fan of nor I could have written this story on our own.
Bren’s books. So, we got together over Twitter –
BMD: You might think that distance combined with our
brainstorming a mass of possible scenarios and
differing styles might make our collaboration a strange
running with the ones that had us both excited. It was
one, but we really wanted to present our characters as
the most fun I have ever had writing a book – it wasn’t
completely different. They live in different timelines,
like work at all. The ideas kept coming, building on
they have different personalities, so we wanted our
each other in a frenzy! Every time I had an idea, Bren
characters to reflect our unique styles, and for the
would shoot one back to me and it would snowball.
reader to see and enjoy both in one book. I arrived with
And the same would happen when Bren had an idea.
my background of writing about stroppy kids boldly
What impact did the global COVID pandemic have negotiating future environments. Zana arrived with her
research on ancient practice of sacrificing children to
on writing the story?
bogs and her background of writing about human
BMD: Bizarrely, we started writing this novel in 2019 rights using quiet and sensitive characters.
and then 2020 arrived and brought such a similar
Who can say where stories start, how they arrive
reality that it almost derailed us completely.
or evolve, but neither of us had to make any
At one point we were scared to carry on, as every compromises in this collaboration and we've both
idea we wrote became a reality! But the truth was we had a lot of fun.
were enjoying working together so we persisted.
2
These notes may be reproduced free of charge for use and study within schools but may not
be reproduced (either in whole or in part) and offered for commercial sale. Copyright © Allen & Unwin Australia 2022
CLASSROOM DISCUSSION AND ACTIVITIES
BEFORE READING
Setting the Scene
The Raven’s Song unfolds across multiple timelines and uses the figure of the Raven to weave these
together. In their own timeline, each character must face extreme threats to both their home and their
way of life. Students might benefit from some additional context around some of the historical and
cultural elements of the story – in particular the role of the raven in folklore, and bog sacrifices.
Related online links for further research on these topics can be found in the Online Resources section
at the end of these notes.
Bog Sacrifices
Archaeologists are fascinated by the bodies that have been found in bogs. These ‘bog bodies’,
perfectly preserved human remains that have been naturally mummified in peat bogs across Europe,
the UK and North America. The oxygen-poor conditions of peat bogs are the perfect conditions for
preservations, and many of these pristine corpses are found in museums across the country. There is a
great deal of speculation around how these bodies ended up in bogs, with many suggesting ritual
sacrifice – a theme that is explored in the book.
• Read some of the resources provided at the end of these notes about bog bodies and answer the
following questions.
- What is a peat bog?
- What conditions occur in a peat bog that lead to the natural mummification of these bodies?
- What are some of the famous bog bodies? Why are archaeologists and historians so
interested in their remains?
- What do you know about ritual sacrifices? Why did people believe that they had to make
sacrifices? What has changed since then?
- Why are peat bogs dangerous to walk on?
Raven Mythology and Folklore

Ravens have been a central figure in myth and folklore for many cultures and religions, shifting
between creator and trickster. In North American mythology Raven is a powerful figure who created
land and fire but is also a trickster on a never-ending quest for food. In the United Kingdom, the raven
has been seen as both a guardian and a bad omen and appears in both Welsh and Celtic lore. The
collective noun for a group of ravens is an unkindness.
In Australia, there are three species of raven, and they are a member of the Corvidae family (with the
crow). In the Kulin nation in central Victoria, Crow also walks a fine line between the trickster and a
hero. Crow is called Waa in Wurundjeri and Waang in Taungurung and plays a significant role in many
Dreamtime stories.
• Have you ever heard a story about a crow or a raven? What kind of character were they? Did the
story have a happy ending?
• Look at some maps online to see where ravens live in Australia. What kind of habitat do they live
in? Can you spot any ravens in your neighbourhood?
3
• As you read, make a note of what is happening each time the raven appears or is mentioned. How
do the characters in the story feel about it?
• Can you find any other myths about ravens? What are they? How do they make you feel?
• Write a scene that explores how you would react if you woke to find a raven standing at the foot of
your bed.
• Why does mythology survive? Why are stories – folk stories and fairy tales – passed on
throughout the generations? Do they change? Do you think they will continue to be passed on?
What was the point of stories in past societies? What is the point of stories now?
ON THE COVER
Setting the Scene
• Before reading, examine the front and back covers of the book. How does the raven appear on the
cover? Is it comforting? Threatening?
• Discuss your emotional response to the book’s cover illustration and compare your response to
your classmates.
• Read the blurb aloud. What is the book about? What kind of story do you think this will be? Make
some predictions about what you think might happen in the book based on the blurb.
• Read the folksong at the beginning of the book. Who is it about? What happens to her? Discuss
the way the song makes you feel, and the tone it sets for the story.
• Read the introduction from the authors. What are some of the challenges they faced writing this
story together? How did they overcome them?
• The Raven’s Song is about a fictional pandemic that bears some resemblances to COVID-19.
Discuss the book in relation to your experiences of 2019-2022.
• How did your life change during this time? As you read consider the way your experiences are
similar or different to Phoenix’s experience. What would you say to someone like Shelby from the
future?
4
ENGLISH
LITERATURE
Vocabulary Literature and context
• Research and discuss the meaning of these concepts found in the book. Make a Year 4 ‘Make connections
between the ways different
list of 3-5 additional concepts that are new to you as you read. authors may represent
similar storylines, ideas and
- Sustainability relationships.’
Year 5 ‘Identify aspects of
- Climate change literary texts that convey
details or information about
- Rewilding nature particular social, cultural and
historical contexts’.
- Sustainable agriculture
Year 6 ‘Make connections
- Quarantine between students’ own
experiences and those of
- Pandemics characters and events
represented in texts drawn
- Folklore from different historical,
social and cultural contexts.’
- Bog sacrifices
Comprehension Questions Responding to literature
Year 7 ‘Reflect on ideas and
1. How does Phoenix feel about his visions? How does his family respond when he opinions about characters,
tells them? settings and events in
literary texts, identifying
2. What is the first thing that strikes you as different about the way Shelby and areas of agreement and
difference with others and
Davy live? What would you miss if your life was contained to 700 hectares? justifying a point of view.’
Who/what would you want to have with you? Examining literature
3. What do Phoenix and Shelby have in common? Describe their differences. Year 4 ‘Discuss how authors
and illustrators make stories
4. What is the role of the Raven Girl in the story? What do you think she would say exciting, moving and
absorbing and hold readers’
to Phoenix if she could speak to him? interest by using various
techniques, for example
5. Why isn’t Phoenix able to survive outside the pod? Is his death a sad character development and
experience? What is he able to share with Shelby before he leaves? plot tension.’
Year 6 ‘Identify, describe,
6. Is death seen in the story as something to be frightened of? How do each of the and discuss similarities and
characters feel about death? differences between texts,
including those by the same
7. What is the significance of finding out Shelby’s full name at the end of the story? author or illustrator, and
evaluate characteristics that
8. What similarities does the story make between the sacrifice of the Raven Girl define an author’s individual
style.’
and the way that Phoenix and Walter are preserved in glass pods? How are
Creating literature
their experiences the same? How are they different?
Year 5 ‘Create literary texts
9. Compare Walter’s scared reaction to the bog woman body in the museum with using realistic and fantasy
settings and characters that
his reaction to the Raven Girl. Compare Phoenix’s reaction to the Raven Girl draw on the worlds
with Walter’s. represented in texts students
have experienced’.
10. What do you think the writers of the book would like us to think about the future?
Examining literature
What kind of future do they present in the story?
Year 7 ‘Recognise and
11. Discuss the ending of the book – how does it make you feel? What do you think analyse the ways that
characterisation, events and
will happen next? settings are combined in
narratives, and discuss the
purposes and appeal of
Writing Together different approaches.’
Creating texts
Read through the Q&A and reflect on the experiences that Zana and Bren describe
about writing in collaboration. Year 5 ‘Re-read and edit
student’s own and others’
work using agreed criteria
• In pairs, write a story together with a classmate. Start with the outline and for text structures and
consider who will be the characters – do they live in the same timeframe and language features.
location? What is it like collaborating with someone else in a creative project?
5
The Hero’s Journey – Home and Back Again
Stories all have a particular structure that shows us the shape of significant events.
There are several popular story structures – Kurt Vonnegut talks about some of
them in this video.
WORKSHEET
One popular structure is the hero’s journey, which is based on a theory by Joseph Campbell, adapted
by screenwriter Christopher Vogler. Another way of looking at the story is using the Pixar ‘story spine’.
Look at diagrams of these story structures in the worksheet at the end of these notes.
• Map The Raven’s Song against the Hero’s Journey and the Pixar method – does it fit either? Is one
better than the other? Why?
• What event triggers the start of the story? (This is called the inciting incident.)
• What are some of the major decisions each of the main characters face? How do their choices
change the direction the story is heading in? (These are called the turning points.)
• What is the major conflict the protagonists have to overcome?
• What happens at the end? (This is the resolution.)
• Use one of the structures to come up with your own idea for a story.
LITERACY
Write a Review Interacting with
others
A book review isn’t just about articulating the things we liked (or didn’t like) about a Year 4 ‘Plan, rehearse and
book, it’s also about helping other readers to decide whether they want to read it. deliver presentations
incorporating learned
Book reviews can start interesting conversations between readers as well, particularly content and taking into
if someone else feels differently about it to you! account the particular
purposes and audiences.’
• Make a list of the key things that happen in the book – you want your review to Year 6 ‘Plan, rehearse and
deliver presentations,
give the reader a sense of the action, but don’t give the ending away. selecting and sequencing
appropriate content and
• Write down your first response – did you like it, or not? Now, ask yourself why. multimodal elements for
Did you like/dislike the characters? The plot? The way the writer told the story? defined audiences and
purposes, making
Think about how other people might respond to these story elements differently. appropriate choices for
modality and emphasis.
• Is there a quote from the book that you can use in your review? Try to find Year 7 ‘Plan, rehearse and
something that gives the reader a strong sense of the way the story is written. deliver presentations,
selecting and sequencing
appropriate content and
• Write your review and share it either on a classroom blog or deliver it as a verbal multimodal elements to
presentation to your class. promote a point of view or
enable a new way of
seeing.’
LANGUAGE
Futuristic Language Expressing and
developing ideas
• In the book, the people in the future talk of the natural world differently. Year 4 ‘Incorporate new
Compare the following two passages from the book and answer the questions vocabulary from a range of
sources into students’ own
that follow. texts including vocabulary
encountered in research’
Gran used to take them every week to visit the place where their
Year 5 ‘Understand the use
mum’s ashes were buried. The wildest place around, it was, right in of vocabulary to express
greater precision of
the middle of the old-growth forest. A little urban forest surrounded by meaning and know that
hard concrete city, saved because if the river floods in those winter words can have different
meanings in different
storms, better it fills a bog than streets and houses. (p48) contexts.’
6
We endure the heat. We endure the storms that blow up out of nowhere, Year 6 ‘Investigate how
vocabulary choices,
giant bacteria-stained clouds that roll and boil green at the edges, the including evaluative
wrecking floods that wash through, the long droughts, the days of smoke language can express
shades of meaning, feeling
as fire burns outside our fences, coz this is what the honoured earth and opinion.’
does when she’s trying to recover. (p25) Language variation

and change
• Who is narrating each passage? Year 7 ‘Understand the way
language evolves to reflect
• What are the differences between the way Shelby and Phoenix experience the a changing world,
particularly in response to
environment? Underline the words in each passage that show us how they feel the use of new technology
for presenting texts and
about the land. What is your response to each passage? Why? communicating.’
• What does changing the language we use do? Does it affect people’s behaviour
towards something? If we call a tree ‘she’ rather than ‘it’ does that change the
way we think of the tree? How do other cultures/languages refer to the natural
environment?
• Which paragraph uses first person narration and which third person narration?
How is the narrative voice affected when an author chooses first person or third
person?
The name given to our geological era, in which human activity has impacted the
environment so much it’s caused geological change, is the Anthropocene.
• What other names for this time have been proposed? Why? What term would
you propose? Why do the names we give things matter?
• Write a letter to a tree or an animal as if it was someone you know. How does
this change the way you see it?
HASS
History
Zana Fraillon notes that there is enormous potential in this book to teach about environmental
impacts and consideration:
- Question the kind of ancestors we want to become – consider what we would want to leave
behind for someone to discover 100 years from now? 1000 years from now? 10,000 years
from now?
- Think about what you would save? What could you not bear for the earth to lose?
- Think about how our present impacts generations thousands of years into the future. (e.g.
plastic will become an actual layer in the strata of the earth and will define this time for
future generations).
• Write a timeline of the events in the story, mapping them out from the sacrifice Questioning
of the Raven Girl through to Shelby’s rescue of Phoenix. What are the Year 4 ‘Pose questions
to investigate people,
connections between the past and the present? events, places and
issues.’
• Write a letter to a future ancestor, living 100 years from now. What would you
Year 6 ‘Develop
say? What questions would you have for them? How would you communicate? appropriate questions
to guide an inquiry
Where would you leave the letter? about people, events,
developments, places,
• Consider this extract from the text and answer the question below: systems and
challenges.’
7
Miss Drinkwater likes to say that the past is a foreign land. Every time she Researching
says it I ask her what it means. And those times she don’t rub her eyelids back Year 4 ‘Locate and
collect information
and forth and breathe out my name like I’ve kicked her in the shin. She says, and data from
different sources,
‘It means we don’t have the background knowledge to fully understand the including
past because we only know how things are now.’ observations’.
Year 5 ‘Sequence
I reckon that’s what the history of this derelict city is to me. Something I’ll information about
people’s lives, events,
never get to understanding coz I don’t have background knowledge bout what developments and
people were like back then. I only know kind folk who live simple lives. (p145) phenomena using a
variety of methods
including timelines’
• Do you agree with Shelby that to understand the past you need to understand
Evaluating and
how people lived and thought? Make a list of questions you would like to ask a reflecting
child living in Australia 100 years ago? Year 6 ‘Reflect on

learning to propose
Mapping History personal and/or
collective action in
response to an issue
• Find maps of the land you live on that show what the landscape was like prior to or challenge.’
colonial times in Australia and either copy or trace them into your notebook. Year 7 ‘Reflect on
learning to propose
- How is the land similar or different to the way you see it today? personal and/or
- What has happened to change it? collective action in
response to an issue
or challenge, taking
• Draw a map that predicts how this same piece of land might look like in the into account different
future. What might happen if humans left it alone? What might happen if perspectives, and
describe the expected
humans continue to develop it? effects.’
• Investigate other traces of the past in your town or city. What lies beneath your
feet? (E.g. did you know that the Queen Victoria Market in Melbourne is built on
top of a graveyard? Or that there is a lost river that runs beneath the city?)
A Whole Lot of Rubbish
• What have our ancestors left behind for us? Look up archaeological finds from
around the world.
• What is the oldest archaeological find?
• What do different artefacts say about the people that came before us?
• A lot of information can be taken by looking at archaeological ‘fill’ and middens –
containing the rubbish of a community. What could you learn from this ancient
rubbish?
• Make a list or draw a picture of everything you find in your home or classroom
rubbish bin. What could a future ancestor learn from our rubbish? What does
this mean for people today?
Look at the work of artist Fred Wilson, who took the artefacts in storage at a museum
and put them on display, creating powerful questions of ownership/colonial narratives
and prompting viewers to question historical accuracies.
• Who decides which artefacts are important?
• Who do we learn about in history and museums? Why are some narratives
found to be more important than others? Who decides?
• What’s important to each of the characters in the book? What is similar and
different between their individual artefacts?
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ACROSS THE CURRICULUM: SUSTAINABILITY
Human-Nature
The Power of Now relationships
World views that recognise

Scientists say that if we don’t start taking care of our planet, it will become harder and the dependence of living
harder to live on. People are addressing this crisis in various ways, from the local to things on healthy
ecosystems, and value
the global. Pick one or two of the activities below and complete it either alone or with a diversity and social justice,
are essential for achieving
partner. At the end of the term, share your progress with the class, and discuss your sustainability.
hopes and ideas for the future of our planet.

Conservation and
• Create a Seed Diary: Investigate the Seed Banks and Future Library projects – sustainability
why are these projects important? What similar project could you do within your Students develop the
knowledge, skills, values
community? and world views necessary
to contribute to more
• Become a Keeper – choose a plant or animal and become its knowledge sustainable patterns of
living.
keeper. Discover everything you can about the plant/animal. Animals and plants Actions for a more
sustainable future reflect
and people are all interconnected – if one species becomes extinct it has a values of care, respect and
massive roll-on effect. The more we know about the animals and plants in our responsibility, and require
us to explore and
environment, the more we can see the connections, and the more we care. understand environments.
Make it your job to let people know about your plant/animal. Help it thrive. Make
sure that your knowledge gets passed on. Health and welbeing
All life forms, including

• Find an area in your school/city/town to rewild. It might be a small patch of human life, are connected
through ecosystems on
unused land. What benefits would it bring if that small patch was seeded and which they depend for their
wellbeing and survival.
made green? What other space could be made green?
Field studies provide an
excellent opportunity to
• Conduct a tree survey of your local area – how many trees are there in each develop and practice the
skills to be safe in the
street? How many are native/Indigenous? What does this mean for the animals? outdoors, create human-
nature relationships and
Visit your rewilding patch and map its progress over the term. develop personal and social
capabilities while explicit
• Look up sustainable agriculture or www.kisstheground.com. Estimate how much subject learning also takes
place.
land would be needed per person to survive on sustainable agriculture if a town
were locked off. Investigate off the grid communities – what does it mean to live
Skills and knowledge
‘off grid’ and how do people survive? What would you need to be fully self- Field studies provide an
sufficient? What would be the issues of a town being cut off and what would still excellent opportunity to
develop and practice the
need to arrive from outside? skills to be safe in the
outdoors, create human-
nature relationships and
• Create a solar oven. Look at other ways to reduce emissions or deal with waste develop personal and social
capabilities while explicit
and create a poster showing the solutions you think would be most effective. subject learning also takes
place.
• Discover how many medicines are based on plants. And how many rainforest
plants become extinct every year. What problems will this cause in the future?
What steps can we take now to avoid these issues?
• Consider this extract from the text and answer the question that follows:
An ancient disease that disappeared and then came back into
the world somehow, from where it was hidden under melting ice
or something, they thought. Like how anthrax came back from
old deer carcasses buried in the Artic. (p37)
Research this real-life incident and write a one page report to describe WHAT
happened, WHEN it happened, WHY it happened.
9
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Zana Fraillon is an internationally acclaimed, multi-award-winning author of books for children and
young adults, including The Curiosities, The Lost Soul Atlas, The Ones That Disappeared and The
Bone Sparrow. Her work has been published in over 15 countries and is in development for both stage
and screen.
Zana’s books have won the Aurealis Award, the Amnesty CILIP Honour Award; the ABIA Book of the
Year for Older Readers; The Readings YA Book Prize; the NSW Premier’s Literary Awards; the CBCA
Honour Book Award; and her book The Bone Sparrow was chosen as the biennial book to represent
Australia for the International Board on Books for Young People. Her books have also been shortlisted
for the Carnegie Award; the Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize; the Prime Minister’s Literary Award; the
INKY awards; the Victorian Premier’s Literary Award; the Queensland Literary Award; and the UK
Crime Fest Award.
Zana was born, and currently lives in Naarm (Melbourne), Australia on the unceded lands of the
Wurundjeri people, but spent her early childhood in San Francisco. As a child Zana always had her
head in a book. This could have been because she was 7 years old before anyone realised that she
was incredibly near-sighted and probably couldn’t see anything further away than the words in a book.
But regardless of its origins, her love of reading has remained central to her life and work. When Zana
isn’t reading or writing, she likes to explore the museums and hidden passageways scattered across
Melbourne. They provide the same excitement as that moment before opening a new book – preparing
to step into the unknown where a whole world of possibilities awaits.
Bren MacDibble was born in Whanganui, New Zealand, where the black sand beaches burn feet all
summer long. Her parents worked farms all over the central North Island, moving often, and she and
her three brothers worked with them, and spent many hours wandering the countryside and bush with
their dog like a bunch of feral creatures. They were always on the lookout for sheep tracks on steep
hills to use as slides, good trees to climb, hay barns to play in, fruit trees to feed them and creeks to
swim and fish in. Of course, there was always farm work and schools to interrupt their fun, but at school
they could borrow books. Bren has always loved science fiction and thinking about all the possible
futures and wrote stories to entertain herself.
After high school, Bren went straight to work in a legal office and then a stevedoring company. She quit
in her mid-twenties and backpacked around the world, through South East Asia, China, Russia and
Europe, and then down the east coast of Africa. She stopped off in Melbourne and never quite made it
home to New Zealand. When she had her own children, she started creating stories again and dove
straight back into her love of science fiction. She wrote short stories for children, young adults and
adults. Bren now lives in Kalbarri on the beautiful midwest coast of Western Australia.
Bren’s children’s books set in environmentally changed future worlds have picked up many awards,
including two New Zealand book awards for Junior Fiction, a Children’s Book Council of Australia Book
of the Year Award, a NSW Premier’s Award, and an Aurealis Award, as well as appearing on multiple
shortlists and being twice nominated for the CILIP Carnegie Medal in the UK. Bren’s YA novel (which
she published under the name Cally Black) was launched by the Ampersand Prize and has also picked
up multiple awards.
10
ABOUT THE WRITER OF THESE NOTES
Bec Kavanagh is a writer, literary critic, and academic. She has had fiction and non-fiction published in
a number of publications including The Guardian, The Big Issue, Mascara and Review of Australian
Fiction. She writes teachers’ notes for a number of publishers including Allen & Unwin. Bec is a PhD
candidate and sessional tutor at La Trobe University, where her research focuses on the representation
of female bodies in literature. She is the Youth Programming Manager at The Wheeler Centre for
Books, Writing and Ideas and in 2021 was one of Regional Arts Victoria’s Creative Workers in Schools,
developing a creative writing zine with a group of students from Coburg High.
ONLINE RESOURCES
Additional background information can be found on the sites listed below.
Information about Ravens in folklore and mythology can be found at the following sites:
American Museum of Natural History ‘Raven the Trickster’ https://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/totems-to-
turquoise/native-american-cosmology/raven-the-
trickster#:~:text=A%20Northwest%20Coast%20Native%20Myth&text=In%20northern%20Northwest%
20Coast%20mythology,to%20light%20up%20the%20world.
Trees For Life ‘Mythology and folklore of the raven’ https://treesforlife.org.uk/into-the-forest/trees-
plants-animals/birds/raven/
Australian Museum ‘Australian Raven’ https://australian.museum/learn/animals/birds/australian-
raven/#:~:text=Identification,are%20usually%20seen%20in%20pairs.
Taungurung ‘Waang the Trickster’ https://taungurung.com.au/creation-stories/
Animalia ‘Australian Raven’ https://animalia.bio/australian-raven
‘What bird is that? Ravens & crows’ (VIDEO) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2a1LpK44saU
Information about ‘bog bodies’

National Geographic ‘Tollund Man’s Last Meal’
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/tollund-mans-last-meal
The Atlantic ‘Were the Mysterious Bog People Human Sacrifices?’
https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2016/03/were-europes-mysterious-bog-people-human-
sacrifices/472839/
The Smithsonian ‘Europe’s Famed Bog Bodies are Starting to Reveal Their Secrets’
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/europe-bog-bodies-reveal-secrets-180962770/
National Geographic ‘Who Were the Ancient Bog Mummies?’
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/europe-bog-bodies-reveal-secrets-180962770/
History Extra ‘What Are Bog Bodies?’ https://www.historyextra.com/period/prehistoric/bog-bodies-what-
are-they-facts/
Information about story structure

Kurt Vonnegut ‘The Shape of Stories’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oP3c1h8v2ZQ
‘The Hero’s Journey’ https://blog.reedsy.com/guide/story-structure/heros-journey/
11
WORKSHEET
Public domain image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Heroesjourney.svg
Image credit: https://medium.com/@Brian_G_Peters/6-rules-of-great-storytelling-as-told-by-pixar-fcc6ae225f50

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TEACHERS ’ NOTES

THE RAVEN’S SONG

Raven Mythology and Folklore

location? What is it like collaborating with someone else in a creative project?

does when she’s trying to recover. (p25) Language variation

child living in Australia 100 years ago? Year 6 ‘Reflect on

World views that recognise

hopes and ideas for the future of our planet.

All life forms, including

Information about ‘bog bodies’

Information about story structure

Public domain image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Heroesjourney.svg

Image credit: https://medium.com/@Brian_G_Peters/6-rules-of-great-storytelling-as-told-by-pixar-fcc6ae225f50

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