australian animals – Page 3

The Creatures of Dryden Gully, by Aunty Ruth Hegarty & Sandi Harrold

The young Royal was taller than Joey and he had four long legs that all reached to the ground. Joey looked at his own short front paws and sighed.
“I wish I had four long legs that could take me wherever I wanted to go. Maybe the Royal joey could teach me,” he whispered hopefully.

Joey wants to be better at hopping, so that he can go wherever he wants to. So when outsiders – Royals (deer) – come to the valley, Joey envies their long legs, and wonders if he can learn from them. He follows them into the hills, but before he can talk to them, danger arrives, and Joey has to hide. When his mother finds him, she explains to him that he is special just as he is.

The Creatures of Dryden Gully is a picture book story about belonging, difference and being unique. Joey learns that being different does not make him less special. He also learns the reassurance of his mother’s love and understanding.

Aboriginal elder Dr Ruth Hegarty tells the story in clear language, allowing readers to learn from Joey’s experience. The illustrations use colours of the Australian landscape against textured backgrounds and are both gentle and warm.

A touching story.

The Creatures of Dryden Gully, by Aunty Ruth Hegarty, illustrated by Sandi Harrold
Scholastic, 2015
ISBN 9781760151997&

We All Sleep by Ezekiel Kwaymullina ill Sally Morgan

Against pink skies kookaburra calls

Over swaying reeds frog leaps

Against pink skies kookaburra calls

Over swaying reeds frog leaps

Beginning at sunrise and ending with starlight, a child observes their world. The light changes, the animals appear at their ideal time of day, plants wave in the breeze. On each page is a small companion blue bird and a hint of which animal will feature next. Artwork is colourful, simple and complex, full of pattern and life.

We All Sleep is a particularly Australian lullaby, featuring iconic animals and birds, doing their thing in an Australian landscape, watched by an Australian child. It offers an opportunity to introduce our native fauna and flora, while the rhythm of the language is informative and soothing. An ideal gift to send overseas, and to keep close at home. Recommended for pre- and early schoolers. And art students.

We All Sleep, Ezekiel Kwaymullina ill Sally Morgan
Fremantle Press 2015
ISBN: 9781925162684

review by Claire Saxby, Children’s author and bookseller

www.clairesaxby.com

Platypus, by Sue Whiting & Mark Jackson

Hurrying.
Scurrying.
Amlways moving.
Always busy.
Always looking for a meal.
Platypus is perpetual motion
– never still.

At dusk, Platypus leaves his sandy burrow and dives into the cool green pool. It is time for him to hunt and forage. As he dives, floats and swim, readers are taken along on his evening outing, all the way learning about this unqiue Australian animal. Alongside the story of this one platypus, there are platypus facts including physical features, diet, habitat and more.

The gentle text is informative, but is also poetic, with the feel of the nighttime meanderings. This is reinforced in the dusky colours of the mixed media illustrations. The platypus is realistically rendered, which makes him all the more endearing.

Part of Walker Books’ amazing Nature Storybooks series, Platypus is suitable for private enjoyment as well as classroom use.

Platypus, by Sue WHiting & Mark Jackson
Walker Books, 2015
ISBN 9781922077448

Avalable from good bookstores and online.

Little Barry Bilby Had Fly Upon His Nose, by Colin Buchanan & Roland Harvey

Little Barry Bilby had a fly upon his nose…
Little Peter Possum had a mozzie on his ear…
Little Colly Cocky had a beetle on his beak…
And the bizzy buzzy bush bugs won’t go away!

This humorous picture book is filled with favourite Aussie animals – bilby, echidna, wombat, dingo and more – all afflicted by annoying bush bugs, from flies and mozzies to cicadas and even a bogong moth. The best solution is to tumble down the gully and jump in the creek. The repetitive text encourages children to join in, and can be either read or sung, with an accompanying CD coming in handy for the latter.

The illustrations are in gentle bush pastel tones with lovable animals and insects, with zany touches such as the slightly cross-eyed look of Barry Bilby.

Suitable for children from birth through to primary school age, Little Barry Bilby Had a Fly Upon His Nose is lots of fun.

Little Barry Bilby Had a Fly Upon His Nose, by Colin Buchanan and Roland Harvey
Scholastic Australia, 2015
ISBN 9781743621899

Available from good bookstores and online.

Magpie Learns a Lesson, by Sally Morgan & Ezekiel Kwaymullina, illustrated by Tania Erzinger

Secretly Magpie felt jealous of her friend.
He could soar to great heights.
He could drop from the sky like a stone.
He could see over a long distance.
Magpie decided to play a trick on him.

Magpie can sing beautifully, but she is jealous of her gentle, kind friend Brown Falcon, for his hunting and flying skills. So she plays a series of mean tricks on him to make him look silly. AT first Falcon tries not to mind, but eventually he gets cross and flies away. When Magpie gets caught in a hunter’s nest she realises, almost too late, the value of Falcon’s friendship.

Magpie Learns a Lesson is a charming lesson about friendship and, in a story with echoes of The Boy Who Cried Wolf, the importance of being honest. The story is brought to life in beautiful acrylic paintings, with the oil sketch paper adding . texture. Rich blue skies alternate with creamy backgrounds and eucalypt greens for the ground and tress scenes, giving a generous echoes of the Australian bush.

A wonderfully Australian title.

Magpie Learns a Lesson, by Sally Morgan & Ezekiel Kwaymullina, illustrated by Tania Erzinger
Omnibus Books, 2015
ISBN 9781742990590

Available from good bookstores or online.

Duelgum: The Story of Mother Eel by Uncle Joe Kirk, with Greer Casey and Sandy Harrold ill Sandi Harrold

Duelgum, the mother eel, lived in a large waterhole, near the banks of the Brisbane River.

She loved her waterhole. It had everything she needed – reeds and waterlilies that gave her shelter from the hot midday sun, and yabbies, shrimp and frogs to eat whenever she was hungry.

Duelgum had made herself a cosy home under an old log where she could sleep peacefully, safe from danger.

Duelgum, the mother eel, lived in a large waterhole, near the banks of the Brisbane River.

She loved her waterhole. It had everything she needed – reeds and waterlilies that gave her shelter from the hot midday sun, and yabbies, shrimp and frogs to eat whenever she was hungry.

Duelgum had made herself a cosy home under an old log where she could sleep peacefully, safe from danger.

Duelgum opens with the mother eel happy in her watery home. One autumn night she realises that it is time for her to travel far away to lay her eggs. She sets out on her journey by travelling overland between her waterhole and the river that will lead her to the sea. She makes her journey and lays her eggs. The story then shifts to the story of the hatchlings who grow and grow before making their own journey back to the waterhole that was home to their mother. Illustrations set most of the text in white on colour on the left side of each opening, with paintings set in white on the right side. The final page offers information about the author, the story and the reason eels are an important part of the ecosystem.

Duelgum: The Story of the Mother Eel is a traditional story from Uncle Joe Kirk, a Brisbane and Wakka Wakka elder about the life and travels of eels. It offers an introduction to these amazing animals who travel from fresh water to salt to lay their eggs. Told simply, Duelgum is a rich resource of story, nature, and culture. It offers multiple threads for classroom and home discussion and has resonance for a wide range of readers. Recommended for early- middle-schoolers.

Duelgum: The Story of the Mother Eel by Uncle Joe Kirk, with Greer Casey and Sandy Harrold ill Sandi Harrold.
Scholastic 2014 ISBN: 9781743623114

review by Claire Saxby, Children’s author and bookseller

www.clairesaxby.com

Available from good bookstores and online.

How I Love You by Anna Pignataro

Far in the bush, Little Koala and Mummy were playing.

Little Koala hugged Mummy very tightly and said,

‘This is how I love you, Mummy.’

Far in the bush, Little Koala and Mummy were playing.

Little Koala hugged Mummy very tightly and said,

‘This is how I love you, Mummy.’

Little Koala shows his mother how he loves her. Other baby Australian animals follow suit, expressing their love for their mother in their own special ways. First the day animals, then the night animals declare and show their love. Finally, it’s bedtime for Little Koala and his Mummy shows just how much she loves her baby. Illustrations are soft watercolour with pencil outlines. Habitats are indicated in vignettes, but mostly the images are of the animals themselves. Paper stock is a rich cream, endpapers are a lovely night-blue.

This is a lovely gentle book to be shared with small children, while they are curled in the reader’s lap. Each animal shares a little of its habitat and behaviour before snuggling with mother. In the final pages, it’s made clear that no matter how much the young love their mother, their mother loves them more. An introduction to Australian animals for the very young. Recommended for pre-school children.

How I Love You

How I Love You, Anna Pignataro Scholastic Press 2014 ISBN: 9781742838182

review by Claire Saxby, Children’s author and bookseller

www.clairesaxby.com

Hokey Pokey by Ed Allen ill Sarah Hardy

Okey dokey, let’s do the wombat hokey pokey!

Put your right paw in, put your right paw out,

Put your right paw in and shake it all about.

Do the hokey pokey and turn around,

That’s what it’s all about!

Okey dokey, let’s do the wombat hokey pokey!

Put your right paw in, put your right paw out,

Put your right paw in and shake it all about.

Do the hokey pokey and turn around,

That’s what it’s all about!

Hokey Pokey Aussie Edition features Australian animals doing the hokey pokey in their own distinctive style. The wombat puts a paw in and out, the kookaburra a wing, the platypus a fin. Illustrations are cumulative and each opening includes the featured animals, those that preceded, and also the animal that will feature on the following opening. Text curves across the pages, with lead words in larger, different colour fonts. Hokey Pokey is accompanied by a CD with music from Colin Buchanan, and includes an instrumental version in addition to the song.

Many children, and most of their families will be familiar with the Hokey-Pokey song and actions. This new Aussie version offers an opportunity to look at the similarities and differences of the native fauna. Readers can play the CD and read along. Pre- and early-school classrooms will be hopping and spinning as they join in the celebrations. The instrumental track on the CD also offers the chance for teachers/parents/family to improvise with their own words. Recommended for pre- and early-schoolers.

Hokey Pokey, Ed Allen ill Sarah Hardy Scholastic 2014 ISBN: 9781742836454

review by Claire Saxby, Children’s author and bookseller

www.clairesaxby.com

A Feast for Wombat, by Sally Morgan & Tania Erzinger

Wombat stared in surprise at the other animals.
Am I special after all?

When Wombat emerges from his tunnel, his friends are really glad to see him, but as Wombat watches them celebrate he feels sad. Each of his friends is good at something: Goanna is the fastest climber, Magpie is the best singer and Dingo is the cleverest dancer. Wombat wants to go back and hide in his tunnel, but his friends run after him to remind him that he, too, is good at things, and best of all, that Wombat is their friend.

A Feast for Wombat is a gentle tale of friendship and self belief. While Wombat wants to be like his friends, he seems unaware that each of them is different, as is he. His friends’ reminder of his own strengths is reassuring, and will reassure young readers, too.

The acrylic illustrations bring the cast of Australian animals to life in gentle bush colours with lovely textured backgrounds, adding to the warm feel of the book.

A Feast for Wombat, by Sally Morgan & Tania Erzinger
Omnibus, 2014
ISBN 9781742990187

Available from good bookstores or online.

Have You Seen My Egg? by Penny Olsen ill Rhonda N. Garward

Oh no,

I’ve lost an egg!

Excuse me, Maggie and Matt,

have you seen my egg?

It’s big and green with

a very hard shell.

Oh no,

I’ve lost an egg!

Excuse me, Maggie and Matt,

have you seen my egg?

It’s big and green with

a very hard shell.

Emu has lost an egg and the search is on to find it. Emu asks the magpies, an echidna, a frill-neck lizard as well as beach and ocean-dwellers. Each responds that they’ve not seen the egg and describes their own eggs – larger, smaller, softer, etc. 1/4 size flaps on each page reveal their own babies hatching. Eventually, he finds his own first hatchling. Each opening shows adult animal, egg and hatchling of a different species. Final spreads show paintings and photos from the National Library as well as further information about the featured species. ‘Have You Seen My Egg’ is a sturdy paperback with strong life-flaps and end flaps.

On the face of it, this is a simple text about Australian animals and their eggs/hatchlings. And it works well on this level. But for young readers who like a little more, there is plenty of information and extra pictures (very useful for the parent/teacher sharing this book with children!) ‘Have You Seen My Egg’ is pitched at preschoolers but will also find fans in early schoolers.

Have You Seen My Egg?

Have You Seen My Egg Penny Olsen ill Rhonda N. Garward

NLA Publishing 2013 ISBN: 9789642277886