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Purinina, A Devil's Tale
This is the story of the journey of a Tasmanian Devil from birth to her own motherhood.
It follows the struggle for existence of this now endangered Australian native marsupial. Purinina's story takes us on
a journey: birth, learning to hunt, the separation from her mother and ultimately becoming a mother herself. It shows
the reader a unique perspective on the lives of these amazing creatures, often misunderstood. It allows us to experience a
glimpse into their lives seen through the eyes of a devil.
PURININA Q & A
check out the questions that
people often ask Christina, perhaps you can find your answer here as well.....
WHY DID YOU WRITE ABOUT TASMANIAN DEVILS?
- I grew up in the bush in Tasmania and there were lots of devils around,
they even attacked my cats (or perhaps the cats attacked them?) I thought I knew as much as I needed about Devil's but realised
that I knew nothing when I watched a documentary about them.
- I learnt that they are amazing creatures with a bit if a bad wrap
so I decided that I should write a story to help other people learn about them in a fun and interesting way.
WHY DID YOU CALL THE DEVIL
PURININA?
- The name Purinina comes from the Tasmanian Aboriginal language and
is the name for the creature we commonly call the Tasmanian Devil. Purinina is not a word that means devil.
- I thought it would be good to use it's proper and first name rather
than calling it Betty or Sally or even using it's horrible nickname, 'devil'.
- The word purinina is used with special permission from the Tasmanian
Aboriginal Centre and I am very grateful for their support.
- The word purinina is used without a capital letter but because I
use it as a name we have used a capital letter.
I THOUGHT THE STORY WOULD BE ABOUT THE FACIAL TUMOURS. WHY
ISN'T IT IN THE STORY?
- The facial tumours present in the devil population is what has put
them on the endangered list.
- When I wrote the story the facial tumours were only just being made
aware to the public and very little was known. By the time the story was accepted for publication more information was available
and by the time the book was published some information had been changed and more discovered. If I had included information
about the facial tumours it would have been out of date before the book went on sale.
- It is a very important issue but I wanted the story to be about hope
and general information about devils.
- I know some people thought the book was about the facial tumours and
were disappointed when their expectations were not met but if you read it as it is meant to be, I think you will enjoy it's
purpose, that is to learn more about devils and what is right with them rather than what is wrong!
WHAT HAPPENED TO PURININA'S MOTHER?
- I thought hard about if I should say why she had died. If I
had chosen to do this then no one would ask the question you just asked and it is a good question.
- Because you asked it I would like to ask you what you think happened
to Purinina's mother?
- Quite a number of things could have happened, she might have had
a tumour, she might have eaten poison, she might have been injured, she might have died of old age! Any one of these things
could have happened, it is better to ask questions to learn rather than have one option put in front of you and not think
about it anymore. That is why I didn't say in the story.
- Funny thing is, it's mostly the grown-ups who don't like it not saying,
most kids enjoy the fact that they need to decide for themselves, some grown-ups don't have very good imaginations do they!
HOW DID YOU DO THE ILLUSTRATIONS?
- The illustrations are done in a combination of watercolour, gouache
and water-soluable wax crayon. The devils are such strong creatures I didn't think soft, washy colours suited them.
- I studied and drew the devil's for six months to learn how they moved
and looked so I could then illustrate the book.
- On average, one full colour double page took about two weeks to illustrate
(as long as the cat didn't walk across it causing me to start again!).
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