ABSTRACT
Let us begin by describing two contrasting incidents involving junior-aged pupils in the primary classroom. The first incident took place in a small school with a class covering a three-year age range (8+to 10+). The teacher has been reading them the story, Walkabout, by James Simpson. The book recounts the adventures of some boys and girls who are the same age as the present pupils. They are flying with their father across the Australian ‘outback’ when the engine fails, the plane crashes and the father is killed. The children meet and are befriended by an aborigine who eventually leads them to safety.
