ly prepared.
             The picture of this landscape is very different to the one presented in Climb a Lonely Hill (Norman, 1970). The landscape in this book is harsh, dry and red! Being brought up on the "Billabong" books, I never knew there was such a thing as "red" dirt! The characters in Climb a Lonely Hill are children who find themselves alone in the middle of a hot, dry dessert, without food or water, one is injured, and they have to find water to survive. 'Isolated in the outback' is discussed by Foster, Finnis and Nimon 1994, when looking at fear in the bush. The isolation in Climb a Lonely Hill could be compared to the isolation in A Little Bush Maid, but the difference in the two landscapes makes huge contrast. In A Little Bush Maid the characters always have a horse with them for transport, and the landscape is not so harsh, there is a creek, and trees for shade, and always some "loving" member of the household looking out for them. Whereas in Climb a Lonely Hill the two children are totally alone, in a harsh landscape, without anyone looking for them until they are missed. Perhaps the function of the landscape in Climb a Lonely Hill is to make the reader aware of the dangers, and also to make the adventure more exciting.
             Storm Boy (Thiele, 1970) introduces a different landscape again, which presents its own isolation. One fundamental difference in this landscape is that it is a seascape. The characters still have to work with the land and sea, to make a living and survive, as they live in the country, some way from town. The landscape is still presented as beautiful and peace
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