I woke up this morning and I couldn't stop crying, cos this place is not my home, even though everyone says it is. When I was a little girl Mum would always hug me when I cried and tell me everything would be all right. Who's gunna hug me here? Mary lives with the Burkes, but they're not her real family. She hasn't seen her real mum and dad since she was taken away from them five years ago. Everyone tells her to forget about them, but she can't. She wants to find out why she was taken, and where she really belongs.

I woke up this morning and I couldn’t stop crying, cos this place is not my home, even though everyone says it is. When I was a little girl Mum would always hug me when I cried and tell me everything would be all right. Who’s gunna hug me here? Mary lives with the Burkes, but they’re not her real family. She hasn’t seen her real mum and dad since she was taken away from them five years ago. Everyone tells her to forget about them, but she can’t. She wants to find out why she was taken, and where she really belongs.

Once there was nothing. Then there was something . . . Come on a fascinating journey through time - from the explosive beginnings of our planet through the formation of the Australian landscape, from the deeply entrenched history of our Indigenous people to modern-day Australia. Beginning with the creation of our country's landmass and climate, 'Australian Story: An Illustrated Timeline' presents the key moments in our country's geographical, faunal and floral formation, and later human settlement. Illustrated with a striking collection of photographs and images from the NLA's digital collection, this is history for children like never before. A fascinating snapshot of our country, 'Australian Story' tells who we once were, who we are today . . . and where we are going.

YA. Mary's story, presented via her diary entries, begins at Bombaderry home for Aboriginal children. Mary has been living here since she was five, but remembers another home with her Mum and Dad and lots of brothers and sisters. Mary likes her family at Bombaderry, including her best friend Marj, and the babies she looks after, but she still misses her Mum and wonders why she doesn't come to visit. Mary's life changes again soon after the diary begins, when she is fostered by a white family. The diary follows her struggle to assimilate into the white society she finds herself living in.

I'm Australian! How about you? Many people from many places have come across the seas, to make Australia their home. How Australian is that?

It's the year 2000 and the Olympics are going to be held in Australia. In a year of surprises, Mel and her family are heading to Sydney on an unforgettable journey to Corroboree 2000, bringing together all Australians as they celebrate Australia’s Indigenous heritage and acknowledge past wrongs.

Despite the differences between children around the world, there are similarities that join us together, such as pain, joy, and love. Inside they are the same.