aussie animals – Page 4 – Aussie Reviews

The Dream of the Thylacine, by Margaret Wild & Ron Brooks

Some books are so exquisitely perfect that it seems almost impossible to review them. The Dream of the Thylacineis one such book – sending shivers of delight up this reviewer’s spine.

With minimal text and a combination of photographic stills and full spread acrylic art, the tale of the last thylacine – and the tragedy of its caged existence – is brought to life in a dramatic blend of beauty and pathos.

Text spreads combine still shots of the last known thylacine trapped in a cage in the Hobart Zoo in 1937 with poetic text in the thylacine’s voice telling of his feelings of being trapped and his memories or dreams of his previous life. The three spreads which follow each of these bear no text, instead showing the thylacine in its natural environment living those dreams – running through forests, standing on cliff tops and more. The final spreads show the thylacine finally sleeping, curled up as part of the landscape. A back of book note tells readers that the thylacine is now extinct, in spite of a slim hope that there are surviving creatures somewhere in the Tasmanian wilderness.

Truly a thing of beauty, The Dream of the Thylacine is a book to be savoured, examined, shared and treasured both at home and in the classroom. What more can I say?

The Dream of the Thylacine, by Margaret Wild and Ron Brooks
Allen & Unwin, 2011
ISBN 9781742373836

This book can be purchased in good bookstores, or online from Fishpond.

The Cocky who Cried Dingo, by Yvonne Morrison

Cocky is a young Sulphur-crested Cockatoo and he’s rather proud of his snowy white feathers and his fine yellow crest. He likes a party and a joke and really isn’t taking much account of others around him. When other birds around him are keen to settle in to sleep, he wants to party on. When they ignore him, he decides to play a trick that will wake them for sure. So he pretends he is being attacked by a dingo. Well, that certainly wakes the flock and they hurry to his aid. A great joke! It works so well that he repeats the trick the following night with similar success. The other birds are now seriously cross with him and when on the third night, as in ‘The Boy Who Cried Wolf’, his call for aid is real and urgent, they are reluctant to respond. He’s in a bind and only narrowly escapes, sacrificing some of his prized crest. He is suitably chastened, and has a temporarily diminished beauty to remind him of his near escape.

The Cocky Who Cried Dingo is a new take on a traditional tale and brings Australian birds into play the roles otherwise played by a boy, a village and a wolf. But the message loses nothing in translation. Yvonne Morrison’s rhyming yarn rolls easily off the tongue as the story moves to a familiar conclusion. Heath McKenzie uses torn paper as his backgrounds, using different shapes and depths of colour to convey emotion. His slightly manic but beautiful birds look capable of most anything, particularly as their sleep is yet again disturbed. Children will join in the refrain with Cocky, waiting to see what will happen when the dingo is real. Cocky is taught a lesson, and is duly chastened, but less the reader think he is totally reformed, McKenzie provides a final cheeky image. Recommended for early-primary readers.

The Cocky Who Cried Dingo, Yvonne Morrison, ill Heath McKenzie
2010 ISBN: 9781921541421

review by Claire Saxby, Children’s author
www.clairesaxby.com

This book can be purchased in good bookstores, or online from Fishpond.

Rufus the Numbat, by David Miller

Rufus the Numbat is just passing through.

Rufus doesn’t walk very fast. He’s just trying to make it to the bush. But to get there he has to cross people-territory and that’s where the trouble begins. Unbeknownst to him he distracts a cyclist who then fails to see danger ahead…and on it goes. Rufus just keeps on plodding, unaware of the chaos and destruction he’s unwittingly caused. The text is very spare. Illustrations are David Miller’s trademark paper sculptures set on paint and ink backgrounds.

On the surface, Rufus the Numbat is a very simple story of an animal taking a walk through unfamiliar territory. It’s not Rufus’ fault that disaster follows, is it? There’s a clear environmental message here about the effect man can have on nature without really even knowing it’s happening. Young children will just love the chaos and calamity. Older children will see the world from a new viewpoint. Artists will appreciate the amazing paper sculptures. Recommended for all ages.

Rufus the Numbat, David Miller
Ford St Publishing 2010
ISBN: 9781876462963

Reviewed by Claire Saxby, Children’s Author www.clairesaxby.com

This book can be purchased in good bookstores or online at Fishpond. Buying through this link supports Aussiereviews.

Snug as Hug, by Marcia Vaughan & Pamela Lofts

Joey is sleeping curled up in Mum’s pouch.
Koala is resting on a limb like a couch.
Turtle is dreaming far out in the sea.
Cockatoo is yawning high up in a tree.

This wonderfully Australian offering is a delightful bedtime book which will appeal to parents and children alike. Snug as a Hug is a rhyming offering which visits the Animals of the bush as they settle down for the night before focussing in on the child also settling down for the night, with the parent-reader’s reassurance that they’ll be close by all night.

The illustrations, in the soft tones of the night time bush show the animals settling down, with the final spread showing soft toy versions of the animals on the child’s bed.

Perfect for children from birth to preschool, this is sure to be a favourite bed time offering.

Snug as a Hug, by Marcia Vaughan & Pamela Lofts
Scholastic, 2010

This book can be purchased online from Fishpond. Buying through this link supports Aussiereviews.

Baby Wombat's Week, by Jackie French

Few Australian picture books have been as internationally successful as Diary of a Wombat (2002). Now the team from this book have produced a sequel, Baby Wombat’s Week, featuring the offspring of that first wombat.

Just like his mother, Mothball, Baby Wombat creates havoc as he digs, searches for food, and plays with his friend – a baby human. Using the same minimalist diary format, and the same adorable style of illustrations of marvellously expressive wombats, and colourful surrounds against white backgrounds, Baby Wombat’s Week will delight fans of the earlier work, and attract a whole new legion of fans.

Very cute.

Baby Wombat’s Week, by Jackie French & Bruce Whatley
Angus & Robertson, 2010

This book can be purchased online from Fishpond. Buying through this link supports Aussiereviews.

Puggle, by Catriona Hoy & Andrew Plant

In a tall house on a hill…there’s a box. Inside the box there’s a towel. And curled up in the towel is Puggle. Puggle is a baby echidna.

Once Puggle lived safe and warm in is mother’s pouch, but one day there was a loud bang and mother stopped swaying. Puggle was picked up and brought to the tall house, where he is cared for with other sick and injured animals. As he grows, other animals in the house recover and return to the wild. Then, finally, the day comes when it is time for Puggle to go back to the forest.

Puggle is the touching story of an orphaned baby echidna (a puggle), based on a true account. It is also the story of the role of wildlife carers in healing and rehabilitating native animals. With bright acrylic illustrations and fact filled endpapers, and enough factual information for classroom use and enough story to entertain, this hard cover picture book is a perfect blend of heart-warming story and educational offering.

Puggle, by Catriona Hoy & Andrew Plant
Working Title Press, 2010

This title can be purchased online from Fishpond. Buying through this link supports Aussiereviews.

Possum and Wattle, by Bronwyn Bancroft

Subtitled My Big Book of Australian Words, Possum and Wattleis just that – a big, beautiful book of words from throughout Australia, illustrated in eye-catching colours by talented illustrator Bronwyn Bancroft.

Including words unique to Australia, such as didgeridoo, boomerang and echidna, as well as words for things which come from other parts of the world, but which are found in Australia, and words for things found in other parts of the world, but with special Australian features, the book contains over a hundred words and illustrations, as well as a glossary explaining some of the words, and providing interesting extra information.

With an introduction by author and artist Sally Morgan, Possum and Wattle will delight very young children with its bright colours, but will also prove absorbing for older children and lovers of Australian art, who will appreciate the detail in the illustrations.

A visual delight. First released in hardcover in 2008, Possum and Wattle: My Big Book of Australian Words has now been rereleased in paperback format.

Possum and Wattle: My Big Book of Australian Words, by Bronywn Bancroft
Little Hare, 2008 , this edition 2010

This book can be purchased online from Fishpond. Buying through this link supports Aussiereviews.

The Australian Twelve Days of Christmas, illustrated by Heath McKenzie

With shops full of tinsel and presents, it’s pretty obvious Christmas is on its way. But there’s a catch. Alongside the tinsel and lights, are scenes of snow, plum puddings and all the trappings of a Northern Hemisphere style Christmas. Here in Australia, Christmas usually entails cooling down and trying to escape the heat as we celebrate this special event in the midst of our summer.

The Australian Twelve Days of Christmas, puts an Aussie slant on the old song, with partridges and maids a milking replaced with a kookaburra up a gum tree, wombats, possums and, of course, flies.

Accompanying the humorous text are colourful, funny illustrations with illustrator Heath McKenzie interpreting them in a unique way. The seven possums playing are in front of the TV with Playstations, and the six sharks are swimming in paddle pools.

This is a fun Christmas offering which will appeal to Aussie kids, but would also make a novel gift for overseas friends and family. First released in hardcover format in 2006, it has been rereleased this Christmas in board book format.

The Australian Twelve Days of Christmas [Board book], illustrated by Heath McKenzie
Black Dog Books, 2009

This book can be purchased online from Fishpond. Buying through this link supports Aussiereviews.

Watch Me!

I’m grey and furry
and cuddly, too.
I’m a KOALA
Watch me CHEW!

This board book with a difference features simple rhyming text introducing favourite Australian animals – koala, kangaroo, kookaburra, crocodile, emu, wombat and more . The illustrations are 3D motionprint, with readers able to tilt the book up and down to see the koala chew, the kookaburra fly and so on.

The rhyming text flows well and also encourages young listeners to guess the motions, and page backgrounds are brightly coloured – purples, greens, oranges and blue. The text is large and coloured to complement the backgrounds, with key words (mostly verbs and adverbs) set in white and with embellishments to accentuate the movements of the animals.

This sturdy offering will delight littlies from birth and up to about six, with the novelty of the ‘moving’ pictures being especially attractive to those at the older end of the range.

Watch Me!: Aussie Animals in Action
Scholastic Australia, 2008

This book is available from Fishpond. Buying through this link supports Aussiereviews.

Little Bush Babies and Mummy’s Little Bush Babies

Little Bush Babies and Mummy’s Little Bush Babies are united by the ‘Smart Babies’ tag, which suggests perhaps that these are just the first two in a new series from Black Dog. Little Bush Babies features photos of baby Australian animals accompanied by captions that track through a typical day for a small child. It begins and ends with sleep. In between, the text describes getting dressed, eating, playing and bathing. There is a different baby animal on each page. Mummy’s Little Bush Babiesfollows a similar pattern in that there are different animals on each page, but each shows mother and child together. The text details the interaction between mother and child from the child’s point of view and ends with an affirmation of the love between them.

Little Bush Babies and Mummy’s Little Bush Babies are both sturdy board books, with beautiful close up photos of Australian wildlife. Simple large font text appears on every page and swaps between black and white to ensure clarity on the coloured pages. Some of the images show the animals in their habitat, while others have been set on brightly coloured backgrounds. Small children learning about books can simply look, and enjoy the images. Parents or others reading to small children can introduce some of Australia’s wildlife as well as reinforcing daily routines or affirming relationships. Recommended for babies and pre-schoolers.

Little Bush Babies comp Black Dog Books, 2008 ISBN: 9781742030425
Mummy’s Little Bush Babies comp Black Dog Books 2008 ISBN: 9781742030432