Just So Stories

Allen & Unwin

August 2026

ISBN:978176118271

Imprint:A & U Children

RRP: $19.99

Around here Sam Thaiday is pretty much a legend. His stellar NRL career aside, Sam has a close association with the Dolphins, our local team, but also his great commitment to promoting the game, and healthy lifestyles for First Nations peoples, as well as being an ambassador for the Starlight Foundation.

He also proves himself a natural storyteller. I love the way Sam explains his motivation for writing for jarjums. He openly says he found it hard to find books that interested him as a kid and, in fact, struggled with reading in general. He found books with good rhythm and flow easier and that’s something that many of us have noted with kiddos we’ve taught as well.

And as you would expect, he loved the Dreamtime stories but really wanted more Torres Strait Islander stories. This is something which I’ve commented upon previously. There was a real lack of TSI stories but thankfully, that is starting to be rectified.

So Sam kicked around some of the old stories he’d been told and that he wanted to share with his own daughters, but to put them into an engaging rhyming format. And, let me tell you, he’s nailed it!

This is a moral story of exactly the sort that Elders would have shared with jarjums to set them on a right path. This one has a twofold message. Firstly, to respect the environment – guardianship of Country – and secondly, to not be greedy, but to take only what one needs.

Two boys go fishing, They know well enough the teachings. Take only what you need – in other words, one fish feeds one person. But these two young fullahs are greedy and caught at least 20 fish! When an old man asks for one, they refuse him but as he walks away, he assures them they will remember him later that night.

Getting home with their haul, they are pretty disappointed when their dad tells them to go around the village and share to everybody. But still, at least they’ve got bragging rights on this oustanding catch. But oh! oh! those fish instead of being sweet and juicy and smooth are suddenly full of bones and nobody enjoys them. And that’s how the fish got their bones.

Sam’s rhyming text is spot on and Tori-Jay’s illustrations are absolutely crackerjack. They are bold and vivid and capture the whole vibe of the islands as well as the beautiful culture.

This one is an absolute must-have for your collection with the themes so apt for our young readers, but also to share the rich culture of the Torres Strait Islanders. Definitely a sweet and juicy 5 🐟🐟🐟🐟🐟rating – easily applicable from EC to upper primary.