Dim's Write Stuff

It may be a touch late for Mother’s Day but when I received Baby Business , the debut picture book by Jasmine Seymour , I knew I had to include it as an ode to mothers no matter what their creed or origin. Seymour created Baby Business to pay homage to her unique Darug heritage and the mob that still thrives in the Hawkesbury area of NSW. She pays tributes with a touching and expressive tale about an ancient First Nations ritual, the baby smoking ceremony. Fortunately, no babies are ever actually ‘smoked’ but through a handful of lovingly scattered words, we are introduced to this soothing ritual, led to the smoking place and educated about the special materials used, each selected for their healing and protective properties. Flames evolve and soon, warm smoke rises, ghost-like, to bathe baby’s feet and connect him with Country. Wisps enshroud baby, caressing his heart, and hands, entreating him to care for Country, take only what he needs and give back whenever he c