Marion Knell, writer and speaker and cross-cultural consultant​

​Anne Copeland, Executive Director, The Interchange Institute

The Newcomer’s Dictionary is an A to Z of words that explore aspects of relocating. Whether you have moved or are considering a move, this dictionary will help to identify and describe the experience of being a newcomer. 

Filtered through Joyce Agee’s memories and illustrated by her sister, Ellen Agee, this book identifies the often hidden and complex feelings that can be experienced by newcomers – whether first-time, seasoned or expatriate – as they relocate to a new suburb, city or country.
 
Now an Australian citizen, in writing this book Joyce has brought together the experiences of a nomadic expat with those of a newcomer child. She reflects on how her life has been impacted by the family’s frequent moves while she was growing up. Books, television programs and films were to become an emotional lifeline for the two sisters, giving them a sense of stability and continuity when everything else around them was constantly changing.

The Legend of the Dancing Baobab Tree is an old folktale from Africa. It takes place in the savanna in a time when there was a great drought that threatened to destroy the earth. The animals were suffering from great hunger and thirst as all the rivers, lakes and streams had dried up. But the mighty baobab tree kept all the water stored inside its big, fat trunk and would not share with the rest of the creatures or plants.​

This left the animals with no choice but to pull the baobab tree from the ground and try to get the water out. But the baobab tree went flying up in the sky and returned back to earth upside down! In many legends across Africa, the baobab tree is now known as the upside-down tree. 
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This version of the story will leave young readers with an open discussion about sharing, fairness and how to ensure that every creature, every plant and every person has what they need to live a happy and healthy life on our shared planet.