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DIGITAL EDITION
When a boy is born from a flower, he finds himself alone in a world of abundance. Freedom and joy abound but soon become repetitive and boring. How might the boy find meaning in this world?
A gently philosophical all-ages graphic short story by critically acclaimed storyteller and artist, Matt Shanks. An exploration of the human story of separation from nature, and how we might best spend our short time on this earth.
Available now $6.99AU
Buy nowIn the beginning, there was a boy
born of soil, moss, and water.
This Generous Earth is a 49-page graphic short story delivered in PDF format.
It is created by Matt Shanks, critically acclaimed and internationally published author/illustrator from Melbourne, Australia. This is an all ages story but kids younger than 7 years old may need some light assistance with language.
All proceeds from the sale of This Generous Earth will support literacy education access for disadvantaged children via the Australian Literacy and Numeracy Foundation.
We bring nothing into this world
except our gradual ability
to create it, out of all that vanishes
and all that will outlast us
– Les Murray, Continuous Creation
This Generous Earth began with a single image in watercolour – a child lost in a dark forest looking for the light.
We are all born into this world without our choosing. We are helpless. We need our parents, carers, and other humans to ensure we survive and, hopefully, thrive.
With such generosity provided to us before we are even able to understand it, we are left to believe that the world is ours to conquer. Except, in the end, it’s not. The Earth will always come for what is hers and then, no matter what sort of life we’ve lived, we are compelled to give back.
As someone who was gifted generous parents, given a good education, and provided with the opportunity to flourish, my work aims to help give provide access to those opportunities to those who weren't as lucky as me.
Literacy is, at it’s most fundamental, a privilege. If you’re able to read this, you've got that privilege. But some of us, because of where we’re born or to whom we’re born, don’t get that opportunity. It’s not that they didn’t work hard, its simply through circumstance.
I hope This Generous Earth gives some of us who are lucky enough to pay for and read a visual story, the chance to help those who can’t in the hope that one day, they may be able to.
DIGITAL EDITION
When a boy is born from a flower, he finds himself alone in a world of abundance. Freedom and joy abound but soon become repetitive and boring. How might the boy find meaning in this world?
A gently philosophical all-ages graphic short story by critically acclaimed storyteller and artist, Matt Shanks. An exploration of the human story of separation from nature, and how we might best spend our short time on this earth.
Available now $6.99AU
Buy nowMatt Shanks has lived and worked his whole life in Sydney (Gadigal) and Melbourne (Boonwurrung), Australia. He acknowledges the traditional custodians of the land on which he does his work and he pays his respects to elders past and present. He acknowledge the sorrow of the stolen generations and the impacts of colonisation on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. He also recognises the resilience, strength and pride of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and through his work, aims to help as much as he can to empower and help them thrive.
