LADY WITH A BOOK… Australian children’s book author Dee White was in the region recently to promote her latest picture book, The Girl in the Painting. It tells the story behind one of Australia’s most iconic paintings, Tom Roberts’ Shearing of the Rams. Photo: Aaron Cordy

By Aaron Cordy

BELOVED Australian children’s book author Dee White was in the region recently, with a talk at the Nathalia, Tatura and Mooroopna Libraries for grade one and two students, and a visit to Collins Booksellers to sign some copies of her latest book, The Girl in the Painting.

Dee’s book, which is beautifully illustrated by Sarah Anthony, tells the true story of one of Australia’s most iconic paintings, Tom Roberts’ Shearing of the Rams.

The Girl in the Painting tells the story of Susie Bourne, who lived on a sheep station in Corowa and quietly helped her sister and her rowdy brothers and remained mostly unnoticed until the famous Tom Roberts arrived and painted his masterpiece.

“The thing that appealed to me about this story was that Susie was really quiet, out of all the four kids, she was the one that nobody noticed, and now she’s in this painting at the National Gallery. Something like 700,000 people come every year to the National Gallery, and she’s the one people notice,” said Dee.

LADY WITH A BOOK… Australian children’s book author Dee White was in the region recently to promote her latest picture book, The Girl in the Painting. It tells the story behind one of Australia’s most iconic paintings, Tom Roberts’ Shearing of the Rams. Photo: Aaron Cordy

Susie is the tomboy holding the tar brush, looking out of the painting – the only one amongst the throng of the busy shearing shed to do so.

Dee White began writing when she was seven years old and now has more than 30 books published for children and young adults, with many articles, short stories and poems as well.

“I’m a country girl myself, and I know that a lot of country kids miss out on seeing authors and people like that. So, I like to visit rural and regional and remote kinds of areas to give kids a chance to meet an author and hear about how they create their books,” said Dee.

You can learn more about Susie and Shearing of the Rams by finding copies of The Girl in the Painting at Collins Booksellers on Maude Street, Shepparton.