Tag Archives: Australian Wildlife

Apr17

Searching for Cicadas – Lesley Gibbes and Judy Watson

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1552876485549

Walker Books Australia

August 2019

ISBN: 9781922244420
Imprint: Walker Books Australia
Australian RRP: $26.99
New Zealand RRP: $28.99

This one had slipped through the cracks and I’m terribly sorry about that because it really should have had its promotion during the summer months. That being said with so many families taking advantage of the ‘stay at home’ situation and exploring their natural world with children it would be a perfect addition in preparation for next cicada season.

What is so delightful about this book is the twinned text of narrative and factual information combined with the amazing and detailed illustrations. Grandad and grandson have a camping adventure every summer purely for the purpose of cicada watching which is a lovely examination of that special relationship between generations. While they keep count of their sightings and observe the cycle of nymphs emerging and their transformation into adulthood, the child is most keen to discover a Black Prince – the rarest of all the cicada types.  (In all my years I’ve only seen one!)

The shrill of cicadas is always our first sign that summer has arrived and at times their cacophony is so deafening that it is hard to believe that such small creatures can make such a racket.

Do yourself and your kiddos a favour and seek this one in preparation for those long languid summer days and afternoon walks in the local park or bushland.

Highly recommended for readers from around 8 years upwards.

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Nov2

Fauna: Australia’s Most Curious Creatures – Tania McCartney

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9780642279545

National Library of Australia

November 2019

ISBN:

9780642279545

RRP: $24.99

Where to begin with this absolutely glorious book? Once again Tania has created a jewel of colour and style with her distinctive stylised illustrations and combined with information both fascinating and amazing this is a treasure for readers of all ages.

The wealth of facts about a wide variety of our unique animals is presented in bite-sized segments perfect for easy digestion by avid little naturalists from as young as seven. Each beautiful double spread is crammed with such detail yet easy to absorb with life-sized art of such things as teeth or eggs , annotated portrayals of the animal, scientific names, habitats, diet, appearance, distribution and much, much more all of which will delight and intrigue the reader.

The important issue of conservation is not neglected. Several pages conclude the book with vital information about endangered or extinct animals encouraging children to take action to prevent the loss of more of our natural wonders.

The lineage of animal life is included as is a beautiful spread describing the astonishment of European arrivals with reproductions of early representations of these curious creatures.

An extensive glossary and index complete the volume making this the complete package for young investigators and researchers.

Tania knows well that her books normally do not leave my own personal shelves. However I am going to make a supreme sacrifice with this particular title. This year I have had the pleasure of a little American girl who has been one of my keenest participants in library activities of all kinds. Sadly for us, her university lecturer dad has completed his exchange and she and her equally delightful family will be returning to the States. I can think of no better gift to give her as a keepsake of our shared year and know that she will truly love it.

My prediction is that this should definitely be a given for any award short-list and in my opinion a winner. I highly recommend it to you as a valuable addition to your shelves or a special gift for a child of your acquaintance. With Christmas fast approaching it would make a truly prized present in someone’s stocking!

Check out this sneak peek on Tania’s FB page!

Oct30

The Australia Survival Guide – George Ivanoff

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9780143796572

 

Penguin Australia

October 2019

ISBN: 9780143796572

Imprint: Puffin

RRP: $24.99

George Ivanoff is not just a pretty face. Under that luxuriant  mop of ever-changing hair there’s an inventive and clever brain which can produce not only awesome adventures of the fictional kind for readers but now the ultimate field guide to surviving in the harsh reality of the Australian landscape.

Naturally, George being George, this is not just a dry and dull book of sensible information but is crammed with quirky facts, funny interjections, news articles, and scientific information about creatures of all kinds, first aid tips and much much more. I love the way the book finishes off with the wacky aspects of Australia – the ‘big’ things, weird slang, Vegemite and neatly a glossary to explain any difficulties (which might be very useful for foreign readers!).

From Swimming Death to Totally Fake Death, Wibbly-Wobbly Death to Death from Above every conceivable aspect of our country’s multiple potential hazards is covered but always partnered with practical suggestions for avoiding the ghastliness of being dead in the landscape.

A particularly favourite chapter for me is the one on Not Death (Bush Tucker and Bush Medicine) and I think readers who are as yet unfamiliar with the native bounty of our bush will be intrigued by this cultural inclusion.

All in all I must agree with George….”I’m beginning to think that even though Australia is DANGEROUS…maybe the good things outweigh the bad? Apart from the occasional natural disaster, staying alive seems to be a matter of commons sense. It’s about avoiding the dangerous things…”

Thanks George for an entertaining and informative read which I know many young people will thoroughly enjoy, particularly those from around mid-primary to mid-secondary.

Highly recommended for your collection or any avid adventurer of your acquaintance.

Aug17

Lucky and Spike – Norma MacDonald

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Magabala Books

February 2019

ISBN: 9781921248177

RRP: $17.99

Back in 2013 Norma MacDonald introduced us to the sprightly joy of a little Spinifex mouse, elusive tiny creature of the Pilbara region in Western Australia– a creature many of us will never otherwise know or see.

Now Norma turns our attention full square onto the dangerous plight that faces not only these adorable little animals but so many others of our natural fauna – feral cats.

I admit it. I’m a cat person. I love our two cats and have owned many before them but I’m also equally passionate about protecting our native animals from them. The prevalence of feral cats, irresponsibly caused by white Australians, has wreaked havoc and continues to do so in our wildlife populations.

Lucky and Spike are out on their nocturnal adventure in search of food and are pursued by one such feral cat as well as a hunting owl. Thankfully in their terror they are able to hide close to the people who are around their campfire. The camp dog takes care of the cat but they still have to evade the owl. It’s a close escape for the intrepid pair – predators abound for such tiny residents of the Pilbara.

This is a great insight into desert natural life and an excellent starting point for simple discussions about protecting our precious species.

Highly recommended for children from about five years upwards.

Aug17

Sleep tight, Platypup – Renee Treml

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platypup

Penguin

February 2019

ISBN: 9780143789697

Imprint: Puffin

RRP: $19.99

I always find something entirely magical about Renee’s books. Both her text and her illustrations are equally charming and so beautifully suited to little readers.

As a child I knew what it was to be afraid of the dark. I did eventually grow out of it (well except for when my daughter tricked me into watching The Sixth Sense because of my Bruce Willis passion) but for many small people those mysterious sounds and shadows of the night can pose a real anxiety.

Little Platypup is one of those youngsters. The weird sounds of the bush outside the burrow are so worrisome and it’s easy to let the imagination run away. But Mother Platypus is both wise and patient and knows exactly how to reassure a little puggle.  Those sounds outside at night are merely the same ones heard through the daytime – it’s just that at night when all is quieter they seem so much more mysterious and queer.

For little humans who are still nervous of night time this is a perfect book to share – and talk about of course. We can’t always address our children’s worries through books but sometimes they are the perfect solution or entrée into assuaging the troubles they face.

Highly recommended for little people from toddlers upwards.

Aug12

Wilam [a Birrarung Story] – Aunty Joy Murphy & Andrew Kelly with illustrations by Lisa Kennedy

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1546493893465

Walker Books

April 2019

ISBN: 9781925381764
Imprint: Black Dog Books
Australian RRP: $24.99
New Zealand RRP: $27.99

For the many readers who loved Welcome to Country and those who are committed to developing a quality collection of First Australian resources, this is a superb addition to your shelves.

The text along with the richly detailed illustrations offers readers a glimpse of one day in the life of the Birrarung (Yarra) river. The many beautiful renditions and mentions of native flora and fauna that inhabit the river’s environs create a vivid and colourful experience for the reader. The inclusion of many words in language (clearly elucidated both in meaning and pronunciation in a glossary) does not hinder the natural flow of the words but rather makes it all the more lyrical.

I cannot emphasise enough how this picture book simply bursts with life and the complete affinity with country that is held close by our First Australians. As some of you know my own family are proud Wiradjuri people and my daughters are very committed to raising the grandchildren with pride in their heritage. This does not preclude the sharing of other language groups’ culture and country. Promoting the understanding between our cultures is paramount to developing the much-needed empathy and acceptance we hope to grow in our young people.

Highly recommended for all readers from prep upwards.

Feb3

Leaving the Lyrebird Forest – Gary Crew. Illustrated by Julian Laffan.

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Lyrebird

Hachette

Imprint: Lothian Children’s Books

September 2018

9780734418432

$16.99

Gary Crew has created a narrative which is not only redolent of the quintessential Australian bush life – which is now mostly disappeared from our landscape – but also encourages the reader to think about the future for both humans and wildlife.

Are you lonely here?’ her mother asked. 
‘Never,’ Alice said. ‘Not while I am friends with the lyrebird.’

Alice has lived her entire life with her artistic parents in a small but quirky house on the outskirts of town. Apart from school she has little contact with other people but that doesn’t concern her. Alice’s best friend is the lyrebird that comes to visit her every other day. When she gets to know her hermit-like neighbour Mr Brown, recently widowed, she discovers that they both share this friendship with the cheeky bird. She also discovers that she and Mr Brown also share a deep and abiding love of the pristine bush and both are determined to preserve it – and the haunt and habitat of the beautiful wildlife therein.

Everything is changing. Alice is getting older and knows that eventually she will have to leave the bush and her home to complete her education but her concern over the splendours of her surrounds drive her decisions about her future. Together with Mr Brown she is able to set in motion a train of events that may possibly save this corner of paradise for the future.

This is a story with overtones of a time gone by which are enhanced by the delightful woodcut illustrations by Julian Laffan. The reader will have much to think about and certainly much to inspire their own aspirations.

Highly recommended for readers from about ten years upwards.

 

 

Sep8

The Gum Family Finds a Home – Tania McCartney/Christina Booth

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gumfamily

Publisher:   National Library of Australia
Edition:   1st Edition
ISBN:   9780642279255
Publication Date:   01 August 2018

 

Tania McCartney is not only one of my very favourite author/illustrators but also one of my favourite humans. This impossibly talented woman is clever, stylish, generous, beautiful inside and out and passionate about our unique country. It took a while for this review copy to get to me but oh how worth the wait it was! And as with Tania’s other books this one doesn’t go to our library shelves or some other worthy recipient but remains firmly in my own collection.

 

A sweet family of koalas live, as they would do, in a gum tree but their home is not without its problems. High winds, busy buzzy bees, no shelter from rain and more all make for a sometimes difficult living environment and like many other families this one thinks perhaps they might look for something more congenial and comfortable. With their koala caravan hitched up they follow their black noses around some of Australia’s most glorious geological wonders in search of a dream home. Along the way they see some of the most spectacular scenery in the world but when all is said and done, they realise that their own home is special – and with just a few modifications might suit them best after all.

 

What a perfectly wonderful way to introduce kidlets to our amazing landscapes (some of which Miss No-Longer-Small and I will be privileged to see next holidays! Excitement!). I am just a little sorry I didn’t receive it in time to use it with Year 2 this term – but what the hey there’s always next term to follow up on their classroom unit! Particularly as there is a wealth of information at the end of the book about the various locations this will prove not only entertaining but enlightening.

 

Tania, you and Christina, are a dream team – and this is just beautiful as well as informative. And oh my! The end papers are just truly divine!!!! (my kiddos at school find my obsession with endpapers highly amusing).

 

Watch the beautiful Tania share this gorgeous book here.

Jul11

Our Birds: Ŋilimurruŋgu Wäyin Malanynha – Siena Stubbs  

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Magabala Books

      Published:Apr 2018

      ISBN:9781925360981

RRP: $17.99

our_birds_high_res_

Young Yolgnu woman Siena Stubbs was just twelve years old when her interest in photography began. At first taking pictures with her iPad she later began more serious photography after the gift of a camera.

 

It wasn’t long at all before her beautiful work found its place in this delightful gift book filled with the glorious birdlife of Siena’s homeland in North-East Arnhem Land.

 

Each species captured on film has both its Yolgnu name and the English equivalent listed along with a lively description and explanation from Siena. As well each species is faced on its opposite page with stunning photos of the spectacular Arnhem Land landscapes.

 

Truly a work of love and art and a splendid gift to share with those who have a desire to explore our sensational Australian wildlife and country, this is a testament to the passion and talent of one young girl.

Read more about Siena here and watch a NITV interview with her here.

 

Jul9

Benny Bungarra’s Big Bush Clean-up – Sally Morgan/Ambelin Kwaymullina

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benny_bungarra_high_res_

Magabala Books

Author:Sally Morgan

Illustrator:Ambelin Kwaymullina

Published:Jun 2018

ISBN:9781925360882

RRP: $16.99

What a great way to kick off NAIDOC week! This is a terrific new book which mixes animals and vivid colours into a powerful message for little people about caring for our environment and our animals’ habitats.

Benny Bungarra is very busy as one by one his bush friends, Olive Python (hehe!), Colin Crow and Kathy Kangaroo, find themselves in real difficulties after encounters with dangerous rubbish left behind by humans. Once Benny has helped them all to free themselves from their respective dilemmas, he and his friends work out strategies that will help keep their bush home safe for all.  Recycling and reducing and using rubbish bins are all great ideas for humans but Benny takes things a step further when he suggests that he and his friends have their own big clean-up.

Before the invasion of white people and the now proliferation of people who disrespect our natural surroundings the First Australians managed country with wisdom, knowledge and respect for all that it gave them.

We have a responsibility to educate everyone to share this same respect and what better way than to start with our youngest readers who will need to manage the environment of the future.

Highly recommended for readers from Kindy upwards and a wonderful way to start a discussion on action that can be taken by anyone and everyone.