Hi from Deni! We've really been enjoying reading everyone's responses so keep 'em coming! We chose to respond to the page where the bilby children are being taken away by box kites.
This double page uses strong symbolism to impact on the reader's feelings and emotions. One example of this are the hundreds of box kites and only a few rabbits, showing that they don't need many rabbits to be powerful and in control. The box kite is another reference to the European nature of the story. The simple number of kites containing the baby bilbies showed how dramatically the rabbits where eradicating the bilby population and how quickly they were taking over. Another example of symbolism is how the kites are being pulled by big mechanical blimps/ships, representing the rabbits' advancement and technology.
The rabbits are dressed in black official clothing remarkably similar to that of a hearse driver, whilst the baby bilbies are naked. This suggests that the rabbits are taking the bilbies away to their graves. The peacock feather pen is dripping blood, blood that is the same colour as the text on the page, representing the pain and suffering the rabbits are causing the bilbies. The blue background is deceptively bright and cheery as the general tone of the page is of sorrow and helplessness. However, as blue can also be synonymous with cold, it can also be seen to represent the coldness of the rabbits in sending the children away.
The written text makes a statement 'and stole our children', referring to the Stolen Generation of Aborigines. The words appear to be on legal documents, in an attempt to legitimise the rabbits' act. Each word is on a piece of paper held by a rabbit. They get smaller and smaller as the words go on and the very last word 'children' flutters away in the wind, to link the fact that the children are being sent away.
Overall, there is a very sad and strong feeling of solitude and loss. The bilby parents are feeling for their children, following on the ground as their children fly away. The rabbits are indifferent to the bilbies' misery and are ruthlessly moving forward.
