Grinj det K’taun KroK!
Grinch the K’town croc!
St u dents f r o m Katherine High S chool wit h David L a wrence
Grinj det K’taun KroK!
Grinch the K’town croc!
acKnowLedGements
We would like to thank the following people for helping out with this workshop: David Lawrence, for his fantastic ideas and helping the students bring this project together.
Cindy Manfong, for helping facilitate the writing and illustrating workshop.
Eugenie Collyer, Simone Baker and Josie Lardy, for translating the English text into Kriol.
Shaelee Tonkin-Reeves, for reaching out to the ILF and helping organise the students involved to create this project.
George Rosas, for keeping the students on track and supporting them.
Thank you to Katherine High School for letting us use your space to run the workshops.
about the IndIgenous Literacy FoundatIon
The Indigenous Literacy Foundation (ILF) is a national charity working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander remote Communities across Australia. We are Community-led, responding to requests from remote Communities for culturally relevant books, including early learning board books, resources, and programs to support Communities to create and publish their stories in languages of their choice.
In 2024 the ILF won the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, given annually to a person or organisation for their outstanding contribution to kids’s and young adult literature.
First published in 2025 by the Indigenous Literacy Foundation Gadigal Country
Level 17/207 Kent Street Sydney NSW 2000 ilf.org.au
Copyright @ Katherine High School
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted by any person or entity (including Google, Amazon or similar organisations) in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, scanning or by any information storage and retrieval system without prior permission in writing from the publisher.
Cataloging-in-Publication details are available from the National Library of Australia www.trove.nla.gov.au
ISBN 9781923179462
Typesetting and design by Hazel Lam
Printed by RR Donnelley Asia Printing Solutions Limited
Grinj det K’taun KroK!
Grinch the K’town croc!
Written and illustrated by students from Katherine High School with David Lawrence
Wanbala bigiswan krokadail bin brabili wailwan en agilibala garra olwan kat la im raitsaid. Im neim bin bi Grinj en im bin laigi braidimbat ola bigininimob.
There was a big, angry, ugly crocodile with a scar over his right eye. His name was Grinch and he loved scaring kids.
Grinj bin brabili snikinbala ola bigininimob nomo bin lukim o lisin la im.
Grinch was so sneaky that the kids couldn’t see him, or hear him.
Ola bigininimob bin oldei sabi im ja bamabi abda
Grinj bin braidnim alabat en im bin lab na alabat.
The only time the kids noticed Grinch was when he laughed after scaring them.
Grinch laughed like a duck and made bubbles under the water. Grinj bin oldei lab laiki dakdak en im bin meigim babulmob andanij na woda.
Grinj bin laigi braidnim ola bigininimob we alabat bin bogibogibat na Lo Leburl.
Grinch loved to scare the kids when they were swimming at Low Level.
Grinj bin laigi braidnim ola bigininimob we alabat bin hantin ontop na Nots Krosin.
Grinch loved to scare the kids when they were hunting upstream at Knotts Crossing.
Grinj bin laigi braidnim ola bigininimob we alabat bin fishin la Donki Kemp.
Grinch loved to scare the kids when they were fishing at Donkey Camp.
The kids finally had enough of being scared by Grinch. Bambai na ola bigininimob nomo bin wandi Grinj ba braidnimbat alabat.
Alabat bin abum mitin pleis wijei Grinj kaan lisin la alabat.
Alabat bin meigim plein ba peibek Grinj. Imin REVENJ taim!
So they had a secret meet up where Grinch couldn’t hear them.
They came up with a plan to pay back Grinch. It was time for REVENGE!
Ola bigininimob bin dabab ola mani alabat bin abum ba baiyim biggest barramandi.
The kids put their life savings together to buy the biggest barramundi ever.
En alabat bin gajim sombala 15 shot faiya kraka burrum alabat femilimob.
Alabat bin burrum ola faiya kraka langa det barramandi mawuj.
Next they borrowed some 15 shot fireworks from their families. They stuffed all the fireworks into the barramundi’s mouth.
Alabat bin libum det barramandi langa benk gulijap na det riba garra det longwan string kamanat burrum im mawuj.
Alabat bin gu haidim mijal na bujij na en waidabat.
The kids left the barramundi on the edge of the water with a long string coming from its mouth. Then they all hid in the bushes and waited.
Bambai na Grinj bin jinigab na det benk en obinim im mawuj brabiliwei. Imin stad lablab na laigi dakdak den dem bigininimob bin laitimab det string.
Grinch suddenly snuck up on the bank and opened his mouth wide. He started laughing like a duck as the kids lit the string.
Grinch swallowed the last of the burning string and slipped back into the water. Grinj bin swuldrum det laswan string wen im bin barnbarn en im bin gubek la woda.
The kids all ran from the bushes to see what happened. Ola bigininimob bin ran burrum det bujijmob ba luk wanim im bi dum.
Det faiya kraka bin brabili strongwan im bin libdimab Grinj burrum det woda!
The fireworks were so strong they lifted Grinch out of the water!
Bambai na wen Grinch bin buldan la graun im bin laigi rainbol kalawan en flashflashbat laigi wanbala krijmijtri.
When Grinch landed he was rainbow coloured and flashing like a Christmas tree.
The kids all started laughing like a duck. Ola bigininimob bin stat lablab na laigi dakdak.
Dumaji alabat bin sabi Grinj kaan jinigab la alabat na.
Because they knew Grinch would never be able to sneak up on them again.
about the authors
maL aKai mcdonaLd
Year: 7
Community: Kalano
Hobbies: I like playing AFL, fishing, hunting, sleeping and day-breaking on the weekends.
rodney duncan
Year: 7
Community: Urapunga
Hobbies: I like going swimming, fishing and camping with my friends and family.
JedIdIah hoosan
Year: 8
Community: Santa Teresa
Hobbies: I like playing Minecraft and playing with my brother and sister at home.
mathayus malmerIn
Year: 7
Community: Borroloola
Hobbies: I like camping, going out to the sea to catch barras and playing AFL.
KIrK miler
Year: 7
Community: Timber Creek
Hobbies: I like playing AFL, swimming and swinging off the tree into the water, riding motorbikes, hunting and fishing with my family.
travin miler
Year: 7
Community: Timber Creek
Hobbies: I like playing AFL, fishing at Timber Creek, hunting, swimming at Myatt Community. ashton ogILvie
Year: 8
Community: Katherine
Hobbies: I like playing AFL, swimming, hunting and fishing with my family. damon thompson
Year: 7
Community: Borroloola
Hobbies: I like playing lego, video games, playing AFL and swimming at Low Level and fishing.
waLKer huddleston
Year: 7
Community: Ngukurr/Roper area
Hobbies: Footy, camping, fishing, hunting, listening to rap, rapping, YMCA drop-in nights, YMCA boys program.
mathias eGan
Year: 7
Community: Alice Springs
Hobbies: Sleeping, playing on my phone, watching movies (outside is too hot).
terence runyu
Year: 7
Community: Gorge Camp –outside of Katherine.
Hobbies: Football, fishing, camping, hunting and listening to rap music (Eazy-E, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube, Tupac and NWA).
Andanij det woda la Ketherrain riba, Im wandi braidnim yu enitaim im luk yu, yu gin lisin im bifo yu luk im,
Im laflafbat andanij det woda batham, meigimbat babulmob bulrumbat im olawei.
Guyu! Tharran Grinj det K’Taun Krok!
Ola bigininimob nagap na burrum Grinj braidnimbat alabat, alabat na garra ouimbek im!
“Ola dedli pijamob en wedmob ba delum dijan stori. Det krokadail im abumbat fan braidnimbat ola biginini en det fan alabat garra abum wen alabat na garra ouimbek im”.
andy grIfFiths, im tokap ba ILF en imin win det nambawan buk raida la Ostreilya
Lurking in the waters of the Katherine River, he’ll scare you any chance he gets, you’ll hear him before you see him, his laughter and bubbles trailing after him.
It’s Grinch the K’Town Croc!
The kids from K’Town have finally had enough of the Grinch scaring them, it’s time for revenge!
“A beautifully illustrated, deftly told tale that tells a story as old as time itself: the skulduggery of crocodiles and the sweetness of revenge!”
andy grIfFiths, ILF Ambassador/ Australia’s Number one children’s author
